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THE  LIFE  Of   mi  A.NTn»L\Y  TAMZZl,  K.C.B. 


VOJL.    I. 


PUBLISHERS'  NOTE. 


The  third  volume  by  Mr.  Henry  Stevens,  mentioned 
on  the  title-page,  is  in  preparation,  and  zuill  probably  be 
issned  some  ti^nc  this  year.  It  will  be  sold  separately  or 
xvitli  the  tivo  volumes  of  Mr.  Fag  an,  as  purchasers  may 
desire. 


/«i 


j£tat  (SS 


THE- 

LIFE   AND   CORRESPONDENCE 

OF 

Sir  ANTHONY   PANIZZI  kcb 

LATE   PRINCIPAL   LIBRARIAN    OF  THE    BRITISH    MUSEUM 
SENATOR   OF   ITALY   ETC 

By  Louis  Pagan 

OF    THE    DEPARTMENT   OF    PRINTS   AND    DRAWINGS    BRITISH    MUSEUM 

In  Two  Volumes 
AUTHORISED   AMERICAN   EDITION 

TO   WHICH    IS    APPENDED   A   THIRD    VOLUME   CONTAINING 

TWENTY    YEARS    PERSONAL   AND    BIBLIOGRAPHICAL    REMINISCENCES    OF 

PANIZZI    AND    THE    BRITISH    MUSEUM 

1S45-1S65 

By  Henry   Stevens  of  Vermont  Fsa  Ma  etc 


Bibhoj^raphy  The  Tree  of  Knowled^'e 


Volume  I 


BOSTON  :    HOUGHTON    MIFFLIN    AND     COMPANY 
RIVERSIDE   CAMBRIDGE   &    ASTOR   PLACl 

MdcccLxxxi 


COMPANY     IT 
CE   NEW-VOrIV 


1 


The  Reminiscences  Copyright  i88l 
by  Henry  Stevens   of  Vermont 

A//  rights  reserved 


s^^^s 


THE 


LIFE   AND   CORRESPONDENCE 


OF 


SIR  ANTHONY   PANIZZI    KCB 


ADVERTISEMENT 


To 


THE 


A 


MERICAN 


E 


DITION 


My  dear  Sir, 


Reform  Club,  Pall  Mall,  bw 
London,  I5th  October,  1880 


ELL  knowing  that  Sir  Anthony  Panizzi 
entrusted  most  of  his  literary  articles 
and  reviews  to  you  for  re-publication 
in  America  under  your  editorship;  and 
aware  that  he  gladly  availed  himself  of 
your  co-operation  in  adding  to  the  store  of  American  history 
and  literature  in  the  British  Museum,  I  feel  that  your  assist- 
ance will  be  of  great  advantage  in  promoting  an  American 
edition  of  ray  work. 

The  addition  of  your  '  Twenty  years  personal  and  biblio- 
graphical Reminiscences  of  Panizzi  and  the  British  Museum  ' 
cannot  but  add  interest  to  the  new  edition,  hence  1  heartily 


ADVEKTISEMENT 
coincide  with  and  approve  the  suggestion,  in  full  expectation 
that  your  long  experience  and  special  opportunities  will  have 
enabled  you  to  throw  still  more  light  on  the  labours  of  a 
life  and  the  merits  of  an  institution  which  cannot  be  too 
well-known  everywhere. 

Trusting  that  our  combined  work  will  be  as  cordially  re- 
ceived in  your  country  as  Americans  always  were  by  Panizzi 
at  the  British  Museum, 

I  remain,  my  dear  Sir,  yours  very  truly, 

LoDis  Fagan 
To  Henry  Stevens,  Esquire  of  Vermont,  f  s  a  etc 
4,  Trafalgar  Square,  Charing  Cross,  London. 


P  R  E  F  A  C  E 


THE  first  chapter  of  these  Volumes  discloses  the 
reasons  which  induced  me  to  undertake  the 
present  Biography — a  task  amounting  to  a  labour  of 
love,  owing  to  the  personal  interest  I  have  felt  in  it 
from  beginning  to  end.  How  far,  however,  I  may 
succeed  in  satisfying  my  Readers — fully  conscious 
as  I  am  of  mv  own  demerits  and  the  manv  defects  to 
be  met  with — I  leave  them  to  decide,  trusting  to 
their  kind  indulgence  not  to  be  hypercritical  in  their 
verdict  on  my  faithful  endeavour  to  perform  my  duty 
both  to  them  and  to  the  subject  of  these  memoirs. 

Some  delay  has  arisen  in  the  completion  of  the 
work,  to  be  attributed  to  three  causes :  the  interrup- 
tion occasioned  by  my  official  duties,  the  variety  and 
complicated  nature  of  the  subject,  and  the  numerous 
translations  recpiired  for  the  full  development  of  the 
life  I  desired  to  treat  with  justice  in  every  respect. 

Grateful  acknowledcments  are  due  for  the  valu- 
able  assistance  received  from  ]\Ir.  Charles  CA^'^■ox  of 
the   Foreign   Office.    Mr.  Eiciiakd  Gar>'ett   of  the 


PKEFACE 

British  Museum,  Mr.  C.  E.  Fagan  and  from  Mr. 
C.  M.  Tyxdall,  to  whom  I  am  deeply  indebted. 
Certainly  in  no  less  degree  must  I  record,  with 
sincere  thanks,  the  cheerful  and  graceful  aid  rendered 
me  by  Madame  Aediti,  who  has,  throughout  my 
labours,  proved  a  most  encouraging  and  able  coadju- 
trix. 

The  respectful  expression  of  my  gratitude  to  the 
Duke  D'AuMALE  and  to  the  Right  Honourable  W.  E. 
Gladstone  is  an  honourable  duty,  since  to  them  as 
well  as  to  Mrs.  Feanklin,  Sir  Gilbeet  Leavis,  Sir 
James  Lacaita,  Mr.  C.  T.  Nkwtox,  Mr.  Andeew 
RuTiiEEFUED  and  the  late  Mr.  Edwaed  Ellice  I  am 
indebted  for  the  loan  of  letters,  etc.,  without  which 
my  work  could  never  have  attained  the  degree  of 
completeness  of  which  it  may  fairly  boast.  Finally, 
in  the  list  should  also  be  named  those  who  have  helped 
me  to  present  these  volumes  in  their  finished  state — 
MM.  DuEAAD,  PiLOTELL,  Sem  and  F.  GusMAN,  to  whose 
courtesy  I  owe  six  of  the  portraits  interspersed  within 
these  pages. 

To  men  of  letters  throuohout  the  civilized  world 
I  can  scarcely  doubt  that  a  biography  of  one  so  w^ell- 
known  in  his  particular  and  important  sphere  as  was 
the  earnest  worker  of  whom  I  have  written  should  be 
otherwise  than  acceptable.  Nevertheless,  it  is  with 
some  anxiety  that  I  lay  my  venture  before  the  public, 


PREFACE 

though    trustmg  at    the  same  time  that  no   serious 

drawback  in  the  accomplishment  of  my  labours  may 

prevent  a  just  appreciation  of  them  by  all  considerate 

readers. 

Louis  Fagax. 

2a,  Graxville  Place, 
PoKTMAX  Square,  W. 
Sejytember,  1880. 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER  I. 

Introduction  —  History  of  Brescello  —  Birtli -- 
Parentasre — Education —  Carbonaro —  Piedmon- 
tese  and  Neapolitan  Revolutions,  1820 — "  I 
Process!  di  Kubiera "    ...  ...  ...         ...     3  to  38. 

CHAPTEE  II. 

Fb'o^ht — Luojano — Arrival  in  London — Santa-Rosa — 
Sentence  of  Death — At  Liverpool — Eoscoc — 
Shepherd  —  Haywood  —  Linati  —  Pecchio  — 
Letter  to  the  Tax-Gatherer  and  Inspector  of 
Finances — Miss  ]Martin — Lectures    ...  ...     39  to  62, 

CHAPTEH  HI. 

Foscolo  —  At  Holkham  —  First  Article — Departure 
from  Liverpool — Brougham — -Nliss  Turner — 
London  University — Botta  —  Lady  Dacre — 
"  Orlando  Innamorato  " — W.  S.  Eose — Keight- 
ley — Moore's  Verses — Correspondence  "with  INIr. 
Grenville — Appointed  to  the  British  Museum  G3  to  lOL 

CHAPTER   IV. 

The  British  Museum — Appointment  Discussed — 
First  Duties — The  Koyal  Society — Promotion — 
Gary— Hallam's  Letter— OfTielal  Residence...  102  to  141. 


iJO^s  TEXTS 

CHAPTER  V. 

Sir  Heniy  Ellis — Parliamentary  Committee,  1835-6  — 
Keepersliip— Kemoval  of  tlie  Library  from 
]\Iontague  House — "  Temporary  Assistants  •' — 
►Superintendence  of  Catalogue — Rev.  E.  Gar- 
nett — J.  Winter  Jones— Thomas  Watts— J.  H. 
Parry — -Additions  to  library,  1838,  and  Defi- 
ciencies-— Annual  (Irant     ...         ...         ...     142  to  17 J. 

« 

CHAPTER    VI. 

Bridport  Election — Desire  to  Msit  31odcna — ^^lazzini 
— Post  Office  Espionage — Piographer's  Personal 
Reminiscences— Portland  A'ase— Psalter,  1457 — 
Interview  \Yitli  Francis  IV. — Libri  ...     17G  to  198. 

CIIAPTEPt  VII. 

Tliicrs — '•  Spanish  Marriages" — Downfall  of  Lord 
JMelbourne's  Administration  —  Corn  Laws  — 
Coolness  between  Panizzi  and  Thiers        ...     lUU  to  254. 

CHAPTJvU  VHL 

The  Royal  Commission,  1847-49  255  to  2Go. 

CIIAPTEU  IX. 

'My.  Grenville — Ikquest — A  Portrait  by  Manzini— 
Chartist  Demonstration — Copyright  Act — Mr. 
Bohu  26Gto293. 

CHAPTER  X. 

Lord  Vernon'e  Dante — Sir  (i.  Cornewall  Lewis 
on  Milton  and  Dante — "Chi  era  Francesco  da 
Bologna?"— John  Harris 294  to  312. 


('O.VTEXTS 

CHAPTER    XL 

Minor  Incidents — Holland  House — .'Sydney  Smith — • 
Ecclesiastical  Commission  Act  (1836) — Joseph 
Parkes — Count  d'Orsay — Lord  ^Melbourne — 
]\[rs.  Norton — l)r,  Hampden's  Case — Watt's 
Portrait  of  Panizzi — Lord  Holland — Sir  T.  D. 
Hardy's  Life  of  Lord  Langdale     ...         ...     313  to  329. 

CHAPTER  XH. 

Panizzi  and  Austria — Policy  of  Lord  Palmerston 
Discussed — Mr.  E.  Ellice — Scotch  Sabbath — • 
Mr.  Gladstone  on  Tasso — Panizzi  and  Thomas 
Carlyle        330  to  337* 

CHAPTER  Xin. 

The  New  Eeading-Room — Sir  C.  Barry's  Plans — 
Completion  and  Breakfast — Mr.  Hosking's  Plans 
— Contro^"ersy — Bust  by  Baron  jMarochetti — 
Austria  applies  for  Plans  of  l\eading-Rooni...338  to  390. 


f*^:lS^^i^ 


ILLUSTRATIONS  TO  VOL.  I. 


Sir  a.  Panizzi  (an  Etching),  Fkoxti 

Ariosto 

Banks  (Sir  Joseph) 

Brougham  (Lord)       

Clarendon  (Lord)      

Dante 

Ellice  (The  Eight  Hon.  Edward) 
Ellis  (Sir  Henry)     ... 

FOSCOLO   (U(iO) 

"Francia"  (F-    Eaibolini) 
Grenville  (The  Right  Hon.  Thom 
Guizot  (F.  p.   G.)      ... 
Hallam  (Henry) 

HaYVvOOD   (Fj{ANCI.'^)     ... 

Lewis  (Sir  G.  Cohnkwall) 
Mazzini  (Giusp:ppe)     ... 
EoGERS  (Samuel) 
EoscoE  (William) 
Sloane  (Sir  Hans)     ... 
Smith  (Sydney) 
Thiers  (Adolphe) 
Vernon  (Lord) 


>PIECE. 


) 


Page 

4 

79 

111 


72 


200 
295 
333 
142 
64 
306 
266 


223 


139 

54 

302 

182 

73 

49 

102 

314 

199 

297 


Aldus  and  Pickering's  Pevicks 


83 


THE  LIFE  OF  SIR  ANTHONY  PANIZZI 


CHAPTEE  I 

Jnirodxiciion  ;  Jlidory  of  Brescello  ;  Birth;  Parentage ;  Education 
Carhonaro ;  Piedmontese  and  Neapolitan  Revolutions,  1820-1; 
/  Processi  di  Ruhicra. 


HE      LABOUR     ATTACHED      TO      THE 

biographer's  task  depends  on  the 
amonnt  and  quality  of  incident  in 
the  career,  as  well  as  the  peculiar 
characteristics  of  the  person  whose 
life  is  portrayed,  provided  there  be  a  sufficiency  of 
salient  jjoints  in  these  respects  to  have  made  him 
•conspicuous  in  the  eyes  of  the  world.  It  would 
be  difficult,  both  to  writer  and  reader,  to  follow 
the  career  of  a  conventional  country  gentleman  or 
clergyman,  however  diligently  and  conscientiously 
either  might  have  discharged  the  duties  alloted  to 
him  in  his  particular  sphere.  The  life  of  the  Cure 
of  Ars,  however,  although  in  reality  as  much  hidden 
from  the  public  eye  as  that  of  the  most  ordhiary 
squire  or  parson,  must  ever  be  reckoned,  if  only  for 
the  psychological  study  it  jn-esents,  amongst  the  most 
interesting  and,  from  certain  points  of  view,  the 
most  instructive  of  biographies. 

B 


4  THE    LIFE    OP   SIK   AXTPIOXY    PAXIZZI 

The  subject  of  the  following  "  Memoirs,"  so  far  as 
regards  the  two  points  above  mentioned,  would  seem 
to  offer  most  favourable  conditions  for  the  pen  of  the 
biographer;  nevertheless,  the  writer  confesses  that 
the  very  facility  presented  has  caused  difficulties  to 
spring  up  in  his  way.  Though  utterly  a  novice  in 
such  work,  an  ardent  longing  has  possessed  him  to 
write  of  one  with  whom  he  lived  for  twenty  years  on 
terms  of  the  most  intimate  friendship,  little,  if  at  all, 
inferior  in  warmth  to  consanguineous  affection.  He 
has  deemed  it  his  duty,  after  duly  weighing  the  many 
communications  received  from  his  friend  in  hours  of 
confidential  intercourse,  and  regarding  them  as  illus- 
trative not  only  of  the  life  of  the  man  himself,  but  in 
their  wider  sense  as  pertaining  to  contemporary  history, 
and  elucidating  the  opinions  of  the  great  statesmen 
and  other  notable  individuals  with  Avhom  the  subject 
of  this  memoir  was  in  daily  intercourse — to  show 
forth  his  life  to  the  world,  calling  to  aid  personal 
memories  of  the  events  recorded,  original  documents 
in  the  writer's  own  possession  or  those  he  could  obtain 
from  others,  besides  information  given  orally  by  friends. 

That  life,  chequered  even  at  the  outset  by  struggle 
and  adventure,  devoted  to  incessant  activity,  and 
bound  up,  as  it  were,  with  all  the  stirring  public 
events  of  the  most  active  period  of  our  age,  being  of 
necessity  gathered  from  documents  so  voluminous  as 
to  constitute  a  veritable  "  emharras  de  richesses  " — 
a  plethora  of  material — the  mere  task  of  condensation 
and  selection  has  proved  a  formidable  one ;  whilst  the 
arrangement  of  facts  following  closely  on  one  another 
has  presented  at  times  considerable  difficulty. 


INTRODUCTION  O' 

Other  causes  have  stimulated  the  biographer  in  his. 
work,  inasmuch  as  he  himself  was  not  unconcerned 
in  some  of  the  more  important  and  exciting  events  of 
the  life  which  he  records.  The  struggles  of  oppressed 
nationalities,  the  numerous  revolutions  and  changes 
of  dynasty,  the  intrigues  of  politicians  throughout 
Europe,  the  face  of  which  may  be  said  to  have  been 
changed  during  the  middle  of  this  century,  the  varied 
events  at  home,  and  the  vicissitudes  of  the  country 
which  his  friend  had  adopted  for  his  own,  and  for 
which  he  evinced  unswerving  aiiection  and  fidelity,, 
have  supplied  matter  which  must  be  treated  at  somo 
length  in  order  to  depict  his  life  in  its  true  light,  and 
to  represent  adequately  the  motive  power  which 
prompted  his  ways  and  actions. 

These  matters  may  be  but  feebly  and  imperfectly 
shadowed  forth  here,  and  scant  justice  may  possibly 
have  been  done  to  the  varied  details ;  nevertheless, 
these  pages  will  be  recognised  as  an  earnest  endeavour 
to  sketch  the  life  of  a  meritorious,  able,  and — it  might 
without  exaggeration  be  added — in  his  way  a  great  man. 

^Vhere  events  follow  their  forerunners  with  extreme 
rapidity,  where  it  is  sometimes  necessary  to  record 
circumstances  which  are  simultaneous,  it  requires 
the  greatest  care  and  discrimination  to  avoid  con- 
fusion, and  to  present  the  subject  clearly  to  the 
reader's  mind.  The  utmost  pains  have  been  taken 
in  these  volumes  to  maintain  correct  chronological 
order :  dates  are  almost  always  given,  so  that 
no  doubt  shall  arise  and  no  uncertainty  exist 
as  to  the  time  of  action.  Should  quotations 
appear  at  any  time  too  copious  or  prolix,  the  author 


0  THE    LIFE    OF    SIR   AXTIIOXY    PANIZZI 

asks  the  indulgent  reader  to  impute  tliis  to  his  idea 
of  the  importance  of  perspicuity  in  dealing  with  an 
uitricate  subject. 

With  these  remarks  we  enter  upon  our  arduous 
but  pleasant  task,  with  a  profoundly  sincere  hope 
that  from  a  life  of  so  much  energy  and  perseverance, 
our  readers  may  extract  for  themselves  an  example 
worthy  of  admiration  and  imitation. 

Men  have  not  lived  in  vain  when,  either  by  in- 
domitable spirit  they  have  left  behind  encouragement 
for  their  fellow-men  to  enter  as  keenly  as  themselves 
into  the  battle  of  life,  or  have  proved  in  their  own 
persons  how  strict  integrity  and  undeviating  rectitude 
finally  bring  their  reward ;  and  such  an  example,  we 
venture  to  declare,  was  the  subject  of  this  memoir. 

In  the  territory  of  Modena,  on  the  right  bank  of 
the  River  Po,  stands  an  ancient  town  formerly  called 
Brixellum  or  Brexillum,  hodie  Brescello.  Father 
Bardetti  (Lingua  dei  primi  abitatori  d'ltalia)  informs 
us  that  the  name  of  "  Brescello  "  is  derived  from  the 
remote  Gallo-Germanic  words  Bng,  a  bridge,  and 
sella,  to  observe.  With  all  due  respect  to  the 
learned  father,  to  his  skill  in  philology,  and  to  his 
knowledge  of  the  Gallo-Germanic  dialect,  our 
opinion  is  that  the  names  Brixellimi  and  Brescello  are 
simply  the  common  diminutives  of  BrLvicc  and  Brescia 
respectively,  a  town  not  one  hundred  miles  from 
Brescello. 

However  that  may  be,  it  is  certain  that  Brescello  is 
a  place  of  most  respectable  antiquity,  for  according 
to  Pliny  the  younger  it  was  a  Koman  colony,  founded 
during  the   period   of  the  Republic.      It  is  equally 


HISTORY    OF    BRESCELLO  7 

certain  that  Brescello  has,  from  the  time  of  its  foun- 
dation, undergone  as  many  of  the  vicissitudes  of  for- 
tune, and  suffered  as  much  from  the  horrors  of  war,  as 
many  towns  of  far  greater  size  and  importance  in  the 
eyes  of  the  world.  A  brief  notice  of  its  history  will, 
however,  cause  our  readers  to  marvel,  not  so  much  at 
the  ruin  and  destruction  which  has  fallen  with  such 
jjersistent  recurrence  upon  Brescello  as  at  the  almost 
miraculous  power  possessed  by  this  phoenix  among 
cities  of  straightway  rising  again  from  its  own  ashes. 

The  first  event  of  local  historical  importance  which 
strikes  us  is  the  suicide  (a.d.  69)  of  the  Emperor  Otho, 
which  took  place  while  he  was  encamped  here,  on 
receiving  the  news  of  the  total  defeat  of  his  army  by 
Vitellius.  A  tomb  erected  in  the  town  to  the  memory 
of  the  unfortunate  Emperor,  for  whom  we  have 
always  entertained  a  certain  amount  of  sympathy, 
possibly  arising  in  a  great  measure  from  our  contempt 
of  his  rival,  is  mentioned  by  Plutarch  as  having  been 
seen  by  himself. 

From  A.D.  69  to  a.d.  3SS  nothing  is  kno\\^i  of  the 
history  of  Brescello.  This  interval,  however,  seems 
to  have  been  one  rather  of  obscurity  than  of  quiet ; 
for  the  name  next  occurs  in  a  letter  of  St.  Ambrose, 
of  the  last-mentioned  date,  wherein  he  speaks  of  the 
place  as  amongst  one  of  the  many  ruined  cities,  and 
ranks  it  with  the  equally  oppressed  towns  of  Bologna,. 
Modena,  Ileggio,  and  Piacenza.  It  may  be  conjec- 
tured that  by  the  year  452  Brescello  must  have  been 
wholly  rebuilt ;  for  in  a  letter  of  Eusebius  to  Leo  I. 
(St.  Leo),  commencing  "  Cipyianus  ^jMscofms  Ecclesie 
Brixellensis,'"  it  is  stated  that  the  tovvn  not  only  gave 


S  THE    LIFE    OF    SIR   ANTHONY    PANIZZI 

name    to    a    see,    but   was   the    dwelling  place  of  a 
bishop. 

In  the  troubled  times  of  the  Longobardi  it  was 
destroyed  by  King  Autharis,  circa,  a.d.  585,  but 
even  then  gave  promise  of  future  vitality ;  for  again 
it  was  rebuilt,  and  a  monastery  existed  there  in 
the  tenth  century.  In  the  year  1099,  for  the  first 
time,  the  Castle  of  Brescello  comes  to  our  know- 
ledge,   with    the    addition    of   fortifications    to    the 

tO"SVll. 

It  is  needless  to  follow  the  fortunes  of  Brescello 
throu2:hout  the  wars  between  the  Cremonese  and 
Parmese,  of  the  many  horrors  of  which,  and  notably 
those  which  occurred  in  the  year  1121,  it  was  the 
scene.  The  foUomng  brief  statement  of  facts  -will 
probably  supply  as  much  of  the  history  of  this  much- 
suffering  place  as  may  be  desired. 

In  1247,  while  Frederick  II.  Emperor  of  Germany 
was  besieging  Parma,  his  ally  Ezzellino  IV.,  the 
Tprmt,  took  possession  of  Brescello  and  Guastalla,  in 
order  to  deprive  the  inhabitants  of  Parma  of  all  means 
of  subsistence,  and  thus  reduce  them  to  submission 
by  famine.  During  this  campaign  the  first-named 
town  was  partially  destroyed;  but  Frederick  and 
Ezzellino  made  up  to  a  considerable  extent  for  the 
damage  inflicted  on  the  Brescelleso  by  building  for 
them  a  bridge  over  the  Po. 

The  Parmese,  always  the  bitter  foes  of  Frederick, 
retook  Brescello  two  vears  later — i.e.,  in  the  vear 
1249 — and  erected  important  fortifications,  which, 
however,  were  destroyed  in  1251  by  the  Cremonese, 
under  the  leadership  of  Uberto  Pallavicino. 


HISTORY   OF   ERESCELLO  9 

Peace  was  declared  two  years  afterwards,  and  the 
conquered  town  became  a  portion  of  Parmese  terri- 
tory. A  congress  took  place  here  between  the  Par- 
mese and  the  Cremonese  in  1295,  and  in  1303  Giber  to 
of  Correggio  was  made  Lord  of  Brescello.  This 
nobleman  at  once  fortified  his  new  possession  so 
strongly  that  the  Cremonese,  after  a  most  furious 
attack,  were  obliged  to  beat  a  hasty  retreat.  A  second 
bridge  was  constructed  during  the  same  year,  but  it 
was  soon  destroyed  by  the  strong  currents  of  the 
river. 

Twelve  months  had  hardly  elapsed  when  the 
Cremonese,  undaunted  by  their  previous  defeat,  again 
attacked  Brescello,  and  this  time  with  such  success 
that  the  tovm  was  set  on  tire  and  utterly  destroyed ; 
only,  however,  to  be  rebuilt  by  the  determined 
citizens,  who  soon  afterwards  were  under  the  dominion 
of  the  Marquis  Obizzo  III.,  of  Este,  at  whose 
death,  in  1352,  the  government  of  the  toAvn  passed 
into  the  hands  of  the  Visconti,  and  continued  so  up 
to  1421.  In  1425  the  Venetians  took  possession  of 
Brescello,  and  held  it  until  1432,  when  it  was  captured 
by  the  Duke  of  Milan,  who,  in  the  years  1442-3,  gave 
it  to  Erasmo  Trivulzio. 

In  1479  Brescello  passed  into  the  possession  of  the 
Duke  Galeazzo  Maria,  Ercole  I.,  and  in  1512  and 
1551  was  under  the  yoke  of  foreign  troops.  In 
1552,  Ercole  II.,  re-fortified  the  town  with  very 
strong  forts,  which  were,  however,  totally  destroyed 
in  1704  by  GaUispani. 

Here,  on  the  16th  September,  1797,  was  born  the 
subject    of    our    memoir,    Antonio     Gcnesio    Maria 


10  THE    LIFE    OF   SIR   ANTHOXY   PAXIZZI 

Panizzi ;  a  great  portion  of  whose  chequered  life 
seemed,  in  its  changes  and  chances,  to  reflect  the 
early  fortunes  of  his  birth-place. 

The  similarity  in  the  unsettled  state  of  both  is 
striking,  and  it  is  a  source  of  gratification  to  watch, 
how,  in  progress  of  time,  Panizzi  was  enabled  to  sur- 
mount misfortune,  and,  freed  from  private  as  well  as 
political  trouble,  to  end  his  life  in  assured  peace  and 
security.  His  father,  Luigi  Panizzi,  was  the  son  of 
Dottor  Antonio  Panizzi,  a  lawyer.  His  mother,  Cate- 
rina  Gruppi,  was  descended  from  a  respectable  line  of 
ancestors,  many  of  whom  had  earned  for  themselves 
honourable  distinction  chiefly  in  the  profession  of  the 
law. 

At  an  early  age  Antonio  Panizzi  was  sent  to  a 
school  of  the  better  class  at  Reggio,  where  he  was 
placed  under  the  care  of  the  Abbate  Fratuzzi,  Pro- 
fessor of  Rhetoric  and  Director  of  the  Lyceum,  mth 
whom,  as  stated  by  a  contemporary.  Dr.  Zatti,  he 
soon  became  a  special  favourite.  Of  this  school 
Panizzi  seems  always  to  have  cherished  happy 
memories,  and  the  author  remembers  hearing  him 
narrate  a  rather  amusing  incident  of  his  school-days. 

This  anecdote  is  presented  to  our  readers  with 
some  apology,  and  with  the  recommendation,  after 
the  manner  of  facetious  novelists  when  about  to  intro- 
duce a  more  than  ordinarily  racy  chapter,  to  use  their 
own  discretion  as  to  its  perusal. 

It  is  the  custom  at  schools  in  Italy,  even  at  the 
present  day,  for  one  of  the  pupils  to  be  chosen  to 
serve  at  mass.  For  this  office  the  Abbate  Fratuzzi 
on  one  occasion  selected  Panizzi.     It   so   happened 


BIRTH    AND    EDUCATION  11 

that  the  priest  was  administering  the  sacrament  to  a 
man,  whose  head  was  of  conspicuous  uncleanliness, 
and  was  uttering  the  usual  sentence, "  Corpus  Domini 
nostri  Jesu  Christi  custodiat  animam  tiiam  in  vitam 
ceternam.'"  Young  Antonio,  interrupting  the  priest  at 
the  word  ^^  custodiat,''  murmured  to  himself  ''■  loediculos 
tuos,"  then  looked  at  the  priest,  who  omitting 
the  "  animam,''  in  a  great  hurry  concluded  the  sen- 
tence, perha23s  unconsciously,  "  in  vitam  ceternam. 
Amen." 

Surely  never  yet  had  man  and  his  tormentors  in 
combmation  so  rich  a  blessing  invoked  on  them. 

Having  finished  his  first  course  of  studies  at  the 
Lyceum,  early  in  the  year  1814  Panizzi  entered  the 
University  of  Parma,  where  he  kept  the  terms  neces- 
sary to  qualify  him  for  the  legal  profession.  In 
August,  1818,  he  obtained  the  Baccalaureat,  with  the 
title  of  "  Dottor  "  Panizzi.  The  original  certificate 
conferring  this  degree  was  taken  away  from  him 
when  subsequently  he  became  involved  in  political 
troubles ;  but  a  second  fully  certified  copy  was  sent 
to  him  on  the  22nd  of  May,  1827,  most  probably  at 
his  own  request,  for  about  this  period  there  was  a 
possibility  of  his  appointment  to  the  chair  of  Italian 
professor  at  the  London  University. 

As  every  detail  is  important  to  our  subject,  it  may 
be  mentioned  here  that,  within  a  month  of  his  ob- 
taining his  degree,  he  was  attacked  so  violently  by 
tj-phoid  fever,  that  his  life  was  for  awhile  despaired 

Oi, 

It  Avas  Panizzi's  good  fortune  at  this  time  to  stand 
on  the  best  possible  terms  with  the  ruler  of  his  State,. 


12  THE    LIFE    OF   SIK   ANTHONY    PANIZZI 

Francis  IV.  Duke  of  Modena,  who  esteemed  the 
young  man  so  highly  as  to  appoint  him,  though  still 
a  mere  youth,  to  the  office  of  Inspector  of  Public 
Schools  at  Brescello.  This  office  he  seems  to  have 
discharged  with  more  than  common  industry  and  con- 
scientiousness, bestowing  on  every  detail,  whether  of 
management  or  expenditure,  the  most  careful  super- 
vision. For  the  favour  with  which  the  Duke  resrarded 
him,  he  was  indebted  to  an  intimacy  existing  between 
Francis  IV.  and  the  Advocate  Cocchi,  with  whom 
Panizzi  acted  as  a  sort  of  legal  partner,  and  whom 
he  constantly  assisted  in  the  various  causes  before 
the  Tribunal  at  Reggio, 

One  who  knew  Panizzi  about  that  time,  thus  describes 
his  personal  appearance :  tail,  thin,  and  of  dark  com- 
plexion ;  in  temper  somewhat  hot  and  hasty,  but  of 
calm  and  even  judgment,  which  commanded  respect 
and  caused  him  to  be  looked  up  to  by  all.  He  must 
have  been  most  diligent  in  his  pursuit  of  knowledge, 
losing  no  opportunity  of  study,  for  he  is  described  as 
•constantly  engaged  in  reading,  even  while  walking 
from  his  house  to  the  office. 

As  regards  his  professional  reputation,  he  may  be 
said  to  have  certainly  occupied  more  than  an  average 
position,  both  as  counsel  and  as  a  legal  authority.  His 
powers  of  eloquence  were  of  no  mean  order ;  they  were 
especially  conspicuous  in  a  law  suit,  in  which  he  was 
■engaged  for  the  defence,  and  was  opposed  by  the  cele- 
brated advocate  Tizioni,  well-knoAvn  as  a  most  formid- 
able, and  (as  was  said)  unscrupulous  opponent. 

It  was  about  this  period  that  the  political  condition 
of  Italy  began  to  engage,  and  shortly  afterwards  to 


C.iEBONARO  13 

absorb  his  attention  ;  and,  in  this  place,  it  will  be  best 
to  notice  a  charge,  openly  brought  against  Panizzi, 
that  he  was  a  Carbonaro.  The  truth  of  this  assertion 
must  be  at  once  and  freely  admitted ;  for  although  no 
one  ever  heard  him  confess  it  in  England,  nor  is  there 
in  his  book  "Processi  diPubiera,"  of  which  more  here- 
after, any  allusion  to  his  having  been  of  the  Associa- 
tion, yet  it  is  indisputable  that  he  was  not  only  a 
Carbonaro,  but  one  of  the  most  active  members  of 
that  Society.  We  have  it  on  the  evidence  of  Doctor 
Minzi  (one  of  his  greatest  friends),  that  in  the  month 
of  January,  1821,  he.  Dr.  Minzi,  and  an  ex-captain  of 
the  Napoleonic  army  were  admitted  by  Panizzi  as 
members  of  the  Society,  that  such  admission  took 
place  in  Panizzi's  o-wii  bedroom,  and  that  he  himself 
had  then  been  a  member  since  the  month  of  March, 
1820. 

In  this  country  all  secret  Societies  are  apt  to  be 
regarded — to  use  the  mildest  term — with  disfavour. 
It  is  true  that  ridicule  attaches  to  the  oreneral  de- 
nunciation  of  Freemasonry  indulged  in  by  the  Roman 
•Catholic  Church ;  for,  except  that  the  manner  of 
■creating  a  Freemason,  and  the  sacred  signs  by  which 
he  may  hereafter  be  kno-\vn,  are  kept  in  darkness 
from  the  profane  world,  the  Institution  itself  is  about 
■as  much  a  secret  societv  as  a  London  club  ;  there  is, 

^  7  7 

however,  unfortunately,  in  a  portion  of  these  realms 
a  dark  and  dangerous  organisation,*  unjustifiable,  we 
conceive,  as  regards  its  purpose,  and  unscrupulous  as 
to  the  means  which  it  employs  to  carry  out  its  de- 

*  "  Eibbonism"  a  society  organised  in  Ireland  about  1820,  to  retaliate  on 
landlords  any  injuries  done  to  their  tenants,  not  scrupling  even  at  assassina- 
tion.    An  Act  was  passed  to  suppress  it,  l(3th  June,  1871. 


li  THE    LIFE    OF    SIR   AXTHONY    PAXIZZI 

signs.  From  the  condition  of  this  conspiracy,  and  of 
the  country  where  it  is  carried  on,  we  are  doing  an 
injustice  to  other  and  widely  different  nations  to 
judge  of  the  causes  from  which  their  societies  spring 
by  the  same  standard ;  for,  let  us  frankly  and  im- 
partially put  ourselves  in  the  place  of  some  at  least 
of  these,  and  we  may  possibly  find  a  sort  of  exculpa- 
tion if  not  a  justification  even  of  the  Carbonaro. 

Where  the  law  is  so  weak  that  justice  cannot  be 
obtained    at  its  hands,  some   other  organisation,  will 
naturally  be  resorted  to  for  the  protection  of  life  and 
property,  and    this    organisation   being   beyond,  and 
therefore   to  a  certain  extent  antagonistic  to  the  law 
as  existing,  or  at  least  as  administered  at  the  time,, 
must,  if  it  would  be  effectual,  be  secret.     No  peaceful 
and  well-conducted  inhabitants  of   certain  cities  in 
the    Far    West,   have    yet,    to    our   knowledge  been 
heard  to  complain  of  the  existence  or  action  of  that, 
most    terrible    of    Vehmgerichte,    the    "  Vigilance " 
Committee.     Where,  on  the  other  hand,  despotism,, 
uncontrolled   by   law,    exercises    an    uncertain    and 
galling  tyranny,  or  being  acquiesced  in  by  the  ma- 
jority, reduces  sovereign  and  subjects  to  the  lowest 
moral  and  intellectual,  and  it  might  almost  be  added 
physical  level,  whatever  there  is  of  life  and  spirit  in  a. 
nation  will  be  forced  into  some  plan  of  action  for  the' 
preservation  both  of  itself  and  the  country  ;  and  this 
action  will  of  necessity  be  secret. 

Conditions  such  as  these  existing,  as  will  be  here- 
after seen,  in  Panizzi's  own  country,  may  fairly  be 
allesred  as  an  excuse — if  excuse  be  needed — for  his 
complicity  with  Carbonarism. 


CAEBOXAEO  15 

It  is  not  brought  forward  as  a  further  justification, 
but  simply  adduced  as  a  fact,  that  such  distinguished 
and  eminent  men,  as  Silvio  Pellico,  and  the  Principe 
della  Cisterna,  are  known  to  have  been  deeply  im- 
bued with  Carbonarism,  and  the  late  Emj)eror 
Napoleon  III.  was  among  the  number  of  those  accused 
of  takins:  an  active  interest  in  the  doins^s  of  this 
societv. 

Into  the  condition  of  Italy  at  the  time  of  which  we 
are  writing  it  is  unnecessary  to  enter  as  yet.  Suffice 
it  to  say  that  the  restraints  upon  personal  liberty  and 
the  despotic  conduct  of  the  ruling  powers  aroused  the 
spirit  of  Panizzi,  and  he  longed  to  liberate  his 
country  ;  ardent  patriot  as  he  was,  it  seemed  to  him 
that  freedom  could  only  be  secured  by  the  expulsion, 
in  the  first  place,  of  certain  persons  whom  he  deemed 
tyrants.  With  a  vie^v  of  bringing  about  this  result, 
he  thouo;ht  it  necessary  to  belono-  to  a  sect,  or  secret 
society,  whose  predominant  ideas  were — to  free  Italy, 
to  unite  her  several  States,  and  to  expel  the 
"  Strang ei\'" 

In  order  that  the  reader  may  not  be  misled  in  any 
way  in  judging  of  the  early  political  principles  of 
Antonio  Panizzi,  it  will  be  well  to  give  in  this  place 
a  short  account  of  the  source  whence  Carbonarism 
sprung,  of  its  original  purpose,  and  of  the  more 
ambitious  aims  which  it  in  aftertimes  developed. 
Let  it  be  first  of  all  clearly  understood  that  the  Car- 
bonari of  1820  had  nothing  in  common  with  the  Com- 
munists of  the  present  day. 

The  Italian  society  of  Carbonari  dates  from  the 
period  of  the  French  Eevolution  (1790) ;  it's  name  was 


16  THE    LIFE    OF    SIR   ANTHONY    PANIZZI 

derived  from  that  of  a  similar  association  which  had 
existed  iii  Germany  from  a  very  early  period.  The 
necessity  of  affording  aid  to  one  another  induced  the 
charcoal-burners  who  inhabited  the  vast  forests  of 
Germany  to  unite  against  robbers  and  enemies. 

By  conventional  signs,  known  only  to  themselves,, 
they  claimed  and  afforded  mutual  assistance.  The 
criminal  attempt  of  Conrad  de  Kauffungen  (executed 
14th  July,  1455),  to  carry  off  the  Saxon  princes, 
failed  through  the  intervention  of  the  charcoal- 
burners  ;  and,  at  a  more  recent  period,  a  Duke  of 
Wurtemberg  was  compelled  by  them,  under  threat  of 
death,  to  abolish  certain  forest  law^s,  considered  offen- 
sive and  cruel.  This  association  gradually  acquired 
more  consistency,  and  spread  itself  all  over  Germany, 
France,  and  the  Netherlands — the  oath  its  members 
took  being  called  "  the  faith  of  colliers  or  charcoal- 
burners."  It  is  asserted  that  several  members  of  the 
French  Parliaments  were  enrolled  in  its  ranks  in  the 
years  1770—1790,  and  it  may  be  remarked,  en 
■passant,  that  in  France  there  had  long  existed,  in  the 
department  of  the  Jura,  an  association  kno^vn  as  the 
"  Charhonniers  "  or  "  Bucheronsr  and  that  amongst 
its  members  it  was  kno^^^l  as  "  Le  Bon  Cusinagey 
This  society  was  revived  and  brought  into  activity  by  the 
Marquis  de  Champagne,  in  the  reign  of  Napoleon  I. 

But  it  is  Italy  which  claims  our  immediate  atten- 
tion, and  in  treating  of  the  rise  and  progress  of  Car- 
bonarism  in  that  country  a  somewhat  remarkable 
personage  must  be  introduced — no  other,  in  fact, 
than  he  to  whom  Carbonarism  owed  its  existence. 
This  was  one  Ma<?hella,  a  Genoese  of  low  extraction. 


CAEBONARISM  IT 

who  had  risen  from  the  position  of  clerk  in  a  count- 
ing-house to  that  of  minister  of  police  in  the  Ligurian 
Republic.  He  was  m  high  favour  with  Murat,  who- 
had  made  his  acquaintance  during  the  French  cam- 
paign in  Piedmont. 

Shortly  after  Murat  had  succeeded  Joseph  Bona- 
parte on  the  throne  of  Naples  he  sent  for  Maghella, 
and  in  course  of  time  made  him  minister  of  police. 
It  may  be  a  matter  of  question  whetlier  or  no  the 
king  found  in  his  newly  appointed  officer  the  best  of 
counsellors  or  the  most  faithful  of  friends.  Maghella 
was  actuated  by  two  feelings  of  equal  intensity — 
hatred  of  Napoleon  and  a  desire  for  the  independence^ 
of  Italy.  With  these  views  he  took  upon  himself  to 
urge  on  Murat  not  only  that  he  should  refuse  to  join 
in  the  campaign  now  (1812)  projected  by  Bonaparte 
against  Russia,  but  should  openly  declare  himself 
against  the  Emperor.  How  Murat  received  this 
advice,  which,  proffered  from  such  a  quarter  to  such 
a  man,  appears  to  us  now  to  betoken  madness,  there 
is  no  record  to  show.  As  he  shortly  afterwards  ap- 
peared in  the  field  as  general  of  Napoleon's  cavalry, 
his  proper  sphere,  it  is  pretty  plain  that  he  did  not 
adopt  it. 

The  unfortunate  termination  of  the  Russian  expedi- 
tion, and  the  complete  disaster  which  befel  the  French 
army  therein,  gave  fresh  encouragement  to  Maghella 
to  carry  out  his  patriotic  schemes.  Now,  he  con- 
ceived, there  was  a  golden  opportunity  for  driving  the 
French  troops  out  of  Rome,  Tuscany,  and  Genoa,  and 
for  placing  himself  at  the  head  of  the  insurrectionist 
party.     In  this,  as  is  well  known,  he  signally  failed. 


IS  THE    LIFE    OF    SIR   ^VNTIIOXl'    PANIZZI 

That  the  occasion  he  took  for  the  accompHshment  of 
his  project  was  not,  however,  so  ill-timed  as  might  gene- 
rally have  been  supposed,  is  proved  by  the  subsequent 
revolution  at  Milan,  which  broke  out  on  the  20tli 
April,  1814,  and  which  showed  that  the  government 
of  Eugene  de  Beauharnais  was  much  less  stable  than 
had  been  fondly  imagined. 

Although  Maghella's  plans  had  thus  failed,  he  still 
had  means  at  command  to  employ  for  the  benefit  of  his 
enslaved  and  distracted  country.  Of  these  the  society 
of  Carbonari  presented  the  readiest ;  and  he  accord- 
insflv  set  himself  to  work  to  introduce  the  association 
into  Naples.  In  this  he  was  successful,  and  a  duly 
constituted  branch  of  the  institution  was  established 
there  by  his  efforts ;  the  object  aimed  at  being  stated, 
in  express  terms,  to  be  the  liberation  of  Italy  from  a 
foreign  yoke.  That  qualification  of  character  was 
required  for  admission  into  the  ranks  of  the  Neapolitan 
league  ap23ears  from  the  following  extract  from  their 
Tules  : — "  General  doctrine  of  the  order."  Article  4. 
"  Tried  virtue  and  purity  of  morals,  and  not  Pagan 
qualities,  render  men  worthy  of  belonging  to  the 
Carbonari."  Although  the  ordinary  Neapolitan 
Carbonaro  might  possibly  have  failed  to  fulfil  these 
rather  severe  conditions,  yet  we  do  not  believe,  still 
less  is  there  any  evidence  to  prove,  that  the  Carbonari  of 
Naples  in  general  were  animated  by  any  less  worthy 
Tnotive  than  by  a  thoroughly  sincere,  if  not  very 
enlightened,  spirit  of  patriotism. 

It  cannot,  however,  be  denied  that  whatever  may 
•be  said  of  these  new  Southern  Members  of  the  Society, 
the  men  of  Northern  Italy,  who  in  1819  and  subsequent 


CAKBOXAKISM  19 

years  joined  in  considerable  numbers,  were  of  a  class 
vastly  superior,  so  far  as  regards  social  standing, 
culture,  and  education,  energy  and  decision  of  charac- 
ter, to  their  confreres  of  the  South — and  amongst  the 
JS^orthern  Italian  associates  was  Antonio  Panizzi. 

By  1820  Carbonarism  had  spread  all  over  the 
Peninsula ;  it  could  scarcely  be  called  any  longer  a 
secret  society.  There  were  head  centres  in  almost 
every  to"vvn.  It  had  reached  a  numerical  strength  far 
above  that  of  any  other  society,  and  it  is  hardly  too 
much  to  say  that,  by  this  time,  it  had  made  itself 
respected  as  the  expression  of  a  national  idea. 

The  system  had,  as  ^\dll  have  been  seen,  now  deve- 
loped itself  into  something  very  different  from,  and,  to 
the  various  rulers  of  divided  Italy,  far  more  formidable 
than  the  innocent  convention  for  mutual  support  and 
defence  of  the  German  charcoal-burners.  It  is  not, 
therefore,  under  the  circumstances,  surj)rising  that 
certain  people  outside  the  pale  of  the  society,  though 
we  can  hardly  suppose  them  altogether  ignorant  of 
its  professed  objects,  should  have  come  to  regard  it 
with  a  vague  and  uneasy  feeling  of  fear  and  aversion. 
In  the  Lombardo-Venetian  Kingdom,  as  it  was  then 
styled,  His  Majesty  the  Emperor  of  Austria  had,  in 
August,  1820,  issued  a  decree  against  the  Carbonari, 
wdiich,  after  accusing  them  of  high  treason,  went  on  to 
•declare  that  "  The  precise  object  of  the  Carhonari  is  the 
subversion  and  destruction  of  all  govermnentsy  Xow, 
with  Avhatever  danger  to  the  Austrian  Government 
the  organization  might  have  been  suspected  to  be 
fraught,  and   it  must  be  readily  granted  that  there 

were  grounds  for  such  suspicion,  the  foregoing  uni- 
c 


20  THE    LIFE    OF   SIR   ANTHOJ^T    PANIZZI 

versa!  proposition  presents  a  remarkable  variation 
from  the  truth.  The  aim  of  the  Carbonari  was,  it  is 
true,  to  liberate  their  country  from  the  yoke  of  the 
foreigner,  but  there  cannot  be  a  doubt  that  it  pointed 
in  an  equally  direct  degree  to  the  unification  of  Italy. 
or  at  the  least  to  a  confederation  of  her  several  States 
under  Italian  government  or  presidency. 

Havino-  thus  endeavoured  to  trace  the  origin, 
growth,  and  aim  of  Carbonarism,  it  behoves  us  to 
consider  how  it  affected  the  state  of  Naples,  what  was 
the  condition  of  that  place  at  the  time  of  its  intro- 
duction, and  what  were  its  immediate  and  subsequent 
results.  To  do  this  it  "will  now  be  necessary  to  reca- 
pitulate the  events  of  the  memorable  years  1820  and 
1821. 

Whilst  the  secret  societies  and  the  people  united 
in  endeavouring  to  upset  the  existing  state  of  affairs, 
the  government  of  Naples,    utterly    unconscious    of 
all  danger,   continued   its    arbitrary    career.       Such, 
indeed,  was  its  feeling  of  security,  that  it  had  the 
amazing  stupidity  to  imj)rison  any  person,  who  fromi 
excess  of  zeal  or  mistaken  patriotism  gave  intimation 
of  approaching  danger.     Danger  there  was,  however, 
and   in    1820    the   revolution   broke  out  in  Naples. 
Two  months  afterwards  a  similar   revolution,  caused 
by  the  obstinacy  and    arbitrary    acts    of  Ferdinand 
VII.  of  Spain,  occurred  at  Cadiz.     All  Europe  greeted 
these    movements  with  applause.     The  Neapolitans,, 
more  eager  and  more  active  than  the  others,  obtained 
their  political  reforms  at  the  cost  of  but  little  blood- 
shed,   and    no    public    injury ;    had    the    revolution 
presented  itself  with  its  usual  accompaniments  of  risk 


CARBONAEISM  21 

and  disaster,  the  Carbonari,  and,  indeed,  the  Liberals^ 
would  not  have  felt  inclined  to  proceed.  Never  was 
there  greater  excitement  amongst  the  former,  and 
never  did  their  numbers  and  strength  increase  sa 
rapidly. 

Thus  encouraged  they  made  essay  of  their  strength 
on  the  ranks  of  the  regular  army,  and  were  fortunate 
enough  to  be  able  to  add  to  their  Society  no  incon- 
siderable number  of  associates,  both  of  the  rank  and 
file,  and  of  officers. 

The  Government  was  completely  taken  by  surprise. 
Calabria,  Capitanata,  and  Salerno  issued  various  pro- 
clamations, whilst  the  army  joined  the  Carbonari 
against  Kins:  Ferdinand  I. 

One  morning  five  Carbonari,  the  most  distinguished 
of  the  sect,  entered  the  royal  palace,  announcing  that 
they  came  in  the  name  of  the  people,  and  that  they  desired 
to  speak  with  the  King  or  some  high  authority  of  the 
Court.  Whereupon  the  Duke  d'i\.scoli  presented 
himself,  and  was  informed  by  one  of  the  delegates  in 
unmistakable  words  that  tranquility  could  not  be 
preserved  in  the  city  unless  the  King  granted  the  con- 
stitution demanded.  On  the  6th  of  July,  1820, 
Ferdinand  was  compelled  to  issue  an  edict  "  To  the 
Nation  of  the  Two  Sicilies,"  in  which  he  solemnly 
promised  to  "  pubhsh  the  basis  of  the  constitution 
within  eight  days'  time."  New  ministers  were  ap- 
pointed, and  shortly  afterwards  a  document  appeared 
stating  that  the  King  had  resigned  the  royal  authority 
to  his  son.  The  people  suspected  this  to  be  a  stratagem, 
and  insisted  on  the  establishment  of  the  "  Cortes  "  at 
once.  The  Viceroy  Francis  was  induced  to  publish  a 
(;  2 


22  THE  LIFE  OP  SIR  a:s'thoxy  panizzi 

decree  declaring  that  the  constitution  of  the  Two 
Sicilies  should  be  the  same  as  that  adopted  in  Spain 
in  1812.  Thus  the  Government  was  constituted  on  its 
new  basis  amid  general  approbation. 

In  Palermo,  however,  a  rebellion  had  broken  out 
which  forced  the  King  to  send  2,000  soldiers  to  reduce 
the  town  to  obedience.  Emboldened  by  his  success 
over  the  Sicilian  rebels,  he  now  fancied  himself  safe, 
and  forthwith  entered  upon  extreme  measures.  A 
general  disarmament  of  the  civil  population  com- 
menced, death  being  the  sentence  ofall  found  in  secret 
possession  of  arms.  The  liberal-minded  monarch 
further  proceeded  to  prohibit  or  suspend  the  action 
of  all  public  schools,  universities,  and  lyceums,  and  to 
disband  the  militia. 

Such  was  the  wretched  state  of  Naples,  when  pre- 
monitory and  alarming  symptoms  of  disaffection 
appeared  in  the  north.  On  the  11th  of  January,  1821, 
a  band  of  young  men,  wearing  the  red  cap  of  liberty, 
appeared  at  the  theatre  of  the  Ardennes,  in  the  dis- 
trict of  Novara,  and  raised  a  tumult.  This  ebullition 
of  enthusiasm  was  put  down  by  the  troops  on  guard 
at  Turin ;  but  the  revolutionary  spirit  was  checked 
only  for  the  moment,  and  soon  broke  out  again  sup- 
ported by  men  of  wealth  and  influence.  In  the  month 
of  February,  on  the  representation  of  the  Austrian 
Mmistry,  the  revolutionary  party  was  publicly  accused 
of  consj)iring  to  expel  the  Austrians  from  Italy.  On 
this  charge,  which  might  possibly  be  true  enough, 
many  men  of  noble  birth  and  of  the  highest  social 
position,  were  imprisoned  in  the  citadel  of  Finistrello. 
This  was  the  signal  for  a  general  rising.     Officers  and 


CARBOXAKISM  23 

statesmen  joined  the  revolutionists,  and,  according  to 
Santorre  Santa-Rosa,  even  tlie  heir-apparent,  Charles 
Albert,  Prince  of  Carignano,  was  no  stranger  to  the 
intrigues  that  were  going  on. 

On  the  morning  of  the  4th  of  March  symptoms  of 
revolt  appeared  in  some  regiments  stationed  near 
Vercelli ;  but  they  were  speedily  suppressed  by  the 
soldiers  who  remained  faithful  to  the  royal  cause. 

On  the  10th  of  March  the  Spanish  constitution 
was  publicly  proclaimed  at  Alessandria.  As  soon  as 
the  news  of  this  gain  to  the  cause  became  known 
throughout  Italy,  great  were  the  rejoicings  of  the 
Carbonari,  and  loud  and  frequent  the  shouts  of  "  Viva 
il  Be  !  Viva  La  Costituzione  r  A  cavalry  regiment 
was  raised  and  stationed  on  the  heights  of  Carma- 
gnuolo,  under  the  command  of  Captain  Lisio,  the 
soldiers  shouting,  "  Death  to  the  Austrians  !"  Turin, 
abandoned  by  its  governor,  was  occupied  amid  the 
acclamations  of  the  people  and  many  of  the  soldiers. 

The  KiuCT  all  this  time  was  at  his  chateau  of  Mon- 
caliere  ;  but  on  hearing  of  the  events  above  described 
at  once  hastened  to  the  capital.  His  first  impulse 
was  to  put  himself  at  the  head  of  his  troops  and 
attack  Alessandria  ;  but  he  was  forced  to  relinquish 
this  enterprise  owing  to  the  unfaithfulness  of  his 
soldiers.  Thus  bathed,  he  attempted,  as  a  sort  of 
half  measure,  a  proclamation  of  the  French  constitu- 
tion. But  it  was  too  late — the  insurgents  had  gained 
the  upper  hand.  As  a  last  resource,  the  King  sent 
the  Prince  of  Cario-nano  to  the  revolutionists  in  order 
to  ascertain  their  demands.  The  prince  was  received 
with  respect  and  military  honours,  accompanied  by 


24  THE    LIFE    OF   SIR   ANTHONY    PANIZZI 

shouts  of  "  Viva  la  Costituzione  di  Sjjagna  /"  He 
was  told  that  war  with  Austria  was  desired.  The 
King,  on  hearing  this,  rather  than  give  way,  abdicated 
in  favour  of  his  heir. 

On  the  loth  the  royal  family  left  Turin  and  set  out 
for  Nice,  and  a  proclamation  was  issued  that  the 
Prince  of  Carignano  had  been  appointed  regent  of  the 
realm.  He  was  soon  afterwards  installed  in  full 
sovereignty,  and  the  constitution  of  Spain  proclaimed. 

We  may  be  permitted  in  closing  this  necessarily 
very  short  sketch  of  the  two  revolutions,  to  quote  a 
passage  from  that  most  amusing  but  slightly  erratic 
writer.  Lady  Morgan,  on  the  subject  of  the  Piedmon- 
tese  Revolution  : — "  Had  this  revolution  not  been  dis- 
turbed by  the  unprincipled  interference  of  foreign 
nations  it  would  have  led  to  the  happiest  consequences. 
AVhat  is  to  be  said  of  a  Government  which  reduces 
the  great  majority  of  the  people  to  a  slavish  insensi- 
bility to  national  degradation,  to  a  perfect  indifference 
to  national  honour  ?' 

It  may  certainly  be  asked,  on  the  other  hand,  how 
a  nation  reduced  to  the  state  described  by  Lady  Mor- 
gan could  be  entrusted  to  work  out  for  itself  a  revo- 
lution which  "  would  have  led  to  the  happiest  con- 
sequences." But  liberty  in  Italy,  as  elsewhere,  must 
have  taken  time  to  grow ;  even  under  the  most 
patriotic  of  leaders  a  nation  does  not  become  suddenly 
ripe  for  the  blessings  of  freedom.  Nor  can  it  be 
doubted  that  by  the  spirit  that  moved  in  1820-1822, 
and  which  burst  forth  so  brightly  in  aftertime,  were 
laid  the  first  foundations  of  that  structure  of  Italian 
unity  finally  completed  by  politicians  more  skilled  but 
not  more  patriotic  than  the  revolutionists. 


MODENA  25 

How  far  Panizzi's  o-\vn  country,  Modena,  was  con- 
cerned in  the  attempted  w^ork  of  liberation  ^\ill  be 
best  shown  by  a  short  notice  of  his  book,  the 
"  Processi  di  BuMeray 

By  this  work,  no  doubt  originally  intended  for  the 
world,  but  even  then  so  sparingly  circulated  and  sub- 
sequently so  rigidly  suppressed  by  the  wTiter  that  very 
few  persons  have  even  seen  it,  the  circumstances  which 
drove  Panizzi  into  exile,  though  not  detailed  in  all 
their  fulness,  are  illustrated  and  rendered  mtelligible. 

A  somewhat  minute  analysis  is  not  therefore  out  of 
place  here,  although,  whether  from  indisposition  to 
thrust  himself  forward  or  from  fear  of  compromising 
others,  the  author's  name  occurs  but  once  or  twice 
in  the  body  of  the  work,  which  therefore  contributes 
hardly  anything  to  the  elucidation  of  his  own 
biography.  It  has  usually  been  referred  to  as  "  / 
Processi  di  Buhiera,''  Kubiera  being  the  name  of  the 
fortress  situated  between  Reggio  and  Modena,  where 
the  prosecution  of  Modenese  political  offenders  was 
conducted  before  a  tribunal  nominated  ad  lioc.  The 
title  of  the  book,  however,  is  "  Dei  Processi  e  delle 
Sentenze  contra  gli  imjnitati  di  Lesa-Mccesta  e  di 
aderenza  alle  Sette  jJTOscritte  negli  Stati  di  Modena ;  " 
247  pages,  besides  the  title,  Madrid,  8°.,  1823.  The 
imprint  was  a  disguise ;  the  publication,  if  the  work 
can  be  said  to  have  been  published,  took  place  at 
Lugano.  The  designation  of  the  anonymous  editor, 
dating  from  Madrid,  Feb.  2,  1823,  and  subscribing 
himself,  "  Un  membro  della  societa  landehuriana,''  was 
no  doubt  equally  apocryphal,  and  may  probably  have 
concealed  Panizzi  himself.     The  document   is  alto- 


26  THE    LIFE    OF   SIR   ANTHOXY   PAJS'IZZI. 

gether  one  of  the  most  interesting  productions  of  its 
author,  especially  as  an  indication  of  the  eminence 
he  might  have  attained  in  his  chosen  profession  of 
advocacy  had  his  lot  been  cast  in  a  free  State.  The 
style  borders  on  the  oratorical,  charged  with  fiery  but 
restrained  indignation,  Avhile  the  vehemence  of  invec- 
tive is  supported  by  legal  acumen,  and  a  thorough 
acquaintance  with  the  maxims  of  jurisprudence,  to 
which  the  writer  continually  appeals.  His  power  of 
recollection  and  mastery  of  incidents,  whether  public 
or  personal,  appear  extraordinary  w^hen  it  is  considered 
that,  his  papers  ha\ing  been  seized  at  Cremona, 
Panizzi  himself  must  have  depended  to  9,  very  great 
extent  upon  his  memory.  Yet  the  completeness  of 
the  documents,  which  are  all  given  in  full,  induce  the 
belief  that  he  might  somehow  have  preserved  this  part 
of  his  materials,  or  have  subsequently  obtained  it  in- 
directly. Some  inaccuracies  may  well  have  crept  un- 
heeded into  the  narrative  under  such  circumstances, 
and  this  may  possibly  account  for  his  evident  desire 
to  suppress  the  work.  Years  after,  being  questioned 
on  the  subject  by  the  biographer,  he  answered, 
"  Better  say  notliing  about  itT  It  seems  difficult  to- 
assign  any  other  reason,  unless  it  might  be  an  exces- 
sive deference  to  the  sentiment  alluded  to  in  the 
preface,  "  die  lo  scoprire  le  turnititdini  delta  ixdria 
sua,  comecche  a  ciascuna  jjersona  non  istia  bene,  a 
coloro  j)oi  die  j^er  capricdo  di  malvagia  fortuna 
furono  fuori  del  seno  di  lei  trahalzati,  piii  special- 
mente  non  convengar  The  tone  of  the  production 
can  scarcely  have  been  disapproved  by  his  maturer 
judgment.     Though  emphatic,  it  is  alwavs  decorous. 


CISALPIXE    REPUBLIC  27 

whilst  the  literary  effect  is  even  impaired  by  a  punc- 
tilious adherence  to  constitutional  fictions  in  criticizing 
the  acts  of  the  sovereign.  There  is  nothing  capable 
of  being  construed  to  the  writer's  own  disadvantage, 
unless  an  adversary  were  sufficiently  malicious  or 
prejudiced  to  discover  an  incentive  to  political  assassi- 
nation, in  his  report  of  a  matter  of  fact,  that  Modena 
rejoiced  at  hearing  the  news  that  a  tyrannical  official 
could  persecute  his  fellow-townsmen  no  more.  This 
moderation  of  tone  certainly  cannot  have  arisen  from 
any  vacillation  on  Panizzi's  part.  He  never  altered 
his  opinion  of  the  Modenese  Government ;  and,  even 
if  his  mere  opinion  were  disregarded,  the  documents 
printed  by  him  speak  sufficiently  for  themselves.  It 
is  fortunate  that  he  did  not  succeed  in  entirely  sup- 
pressing so  lamentable  an  illustration  of  the  forlorn 
condition  of  the  Italy  of  his  youth. 

The  book  commences  with  a  retrospective  survey  of 
the  then  recent  history  of  Italy,  displaying  remarkable 
insight  into  personal  character,  and  containing  shrewd 
rem.arks  on  State  policy.  This  introduction  may  one 
day  be  appealed  to  as  a  testimony  that  the  true 
founder  of  Italian  independence  and  unity  was  neither 
Charles  Albert  nor  Victor  Emmanuel,  not  Cavour, 
nor  Mazzini,  nor  Garibaldi,  but  Napoleon.  Nothing, 
certainly,  could  have  been  farther  from  the  intention  of 
the  rapacious  conqueror,  who,  ere  the  ink  was  well 
dry  with  which  he  had  assured  the  citizens  of  the 
Cisalpine  Kepublic  that  their  liberties  would  shortly 
be  secure,  proceeded  to  confiscate  them  himself. 

A  contemporary  writer  mentions  the  project  which 
Bonaparte  is  knowTi  to  have  long  entertained,  for  con- 


2S  THE    LIFE    OF   SIR   ANTHOXY    PAXIZZI 

solidating  Italy  into  one  State,  and  adds  :  "  While  he 
was  Emperor  of  France  he  probably  intended  to  ad- 
minister his  new  Government  by  a  Viceroy,  but  since 
his  abdication  we  are  satisfied  from  all  we  have  seen 
and  heard  of  his  conduct  that  he  dreams  of  his  Italian 
kingdom  for  himself." 

It  was,  however,  impossible  for  a  revolutionary  in- 
vader, whose  authority  involved  the  negation  of  the 
old  order  of  things,  to  govern  Italy  without  appealing 
to  Italian  national  sentiment.  The  various  branches 
of  administration  fell  into  the  hands  of  natives.  A 
national  army  was  formed  which  participated  to  the 
full  in  the  glories  of  the  Empire,  and  Italy  regamed 
something  of  that  reputation  for  valour  and  conduct 
which  she  had  forfeited  for  three  hundred  years.  The 
Italian  youth,  no  longer  condemned  by  the  jealousy 
of  their  rulers  to  an  existence  of  indolence  and  friv- 
olity, awoke  to  the  perception  that  their  immediate 
progenitors  had  reversed  the  mission  of  their  fore- 
fathers. 

Excudent  alii  s])irantia  mollius  cera,      .     .     . 
Tu  regere  imjwrio  j^ojndos,  Bomane,  memento. 

For  themselves,  if  still  subjects,  they  were  no  longer 
slaves. 

Napoleon,  '■^  nato^''  in  Panizzi's  pregnant  phrase, 
*'^jer  dar  Vormxc  all  eta  sua"  prepared  the  way  for  the 
love  of  liberty  by  reviving  the  love  of  glory.  Looking 
around  them,  the  Italians  beheld  an  enlightened  code 
of  laws,  impartial  judges,  religious  toleration,  educa- 
tion fostered  by  the  State,  active  industry,  flourishing 
finances,  above  all,  a  strictly  national  administration. 


MODENA  29 

with  every  post  accessible  to  desert.  The  instinctive 
sagacity  of  the  race  taught  them  to  be  content  with 
so  large  a  measure  of  good  for  the  present,  and  to 
reserve  their  aspirations  for  independence  until  their 
beneficent  master  should  bequeath  his  empire  to  his 
son.  That  day  never  came.  Bonaparte  fell,  execrated 
by  the  many  nations  which  he  had  pillaged  and  dis- 
membered, but  cherished  by  the  one  he  had  trained  to 
national  life,  -svith  a  resrard  which  is  still  a  force  in 
European  politics. 

Six  millions  of  Italians  had,  in  Napoleon's  time  at 
least,  been  permitted  to  bear  the  Italian  name.  The 
Congress  of  Vienna  resolved  them  back  into  Lom- 
bards, Piedmontese,  and  the  people  of  Parma  and 
Modena.  Modena  was  assigned  to  the  Austrian 
Archduke,  descended  on  the  female  side  from  the 
ancient  house  of  Este,  a  j)etty  tyrant  of  a  peculiarly 
exasperating  type,  timorous,  suspicious,  and  hypocri- 
tical. His  first  act  was  to  abohsh  the  Code  Napoleon, 
and  replace  it  by  the  code  promulgated  by  authority 
in  1771.  The  motive  for  this  retrograde  proceeding 
was  apparent.  The  code  Napoleon  was  lucid  and 
comprehensive ;  the  obscurity  and  imperfection  of  the 
*'  Codice  Estense  "  left  a  marsrin  of  uncertaintv,  under 
cover  of  which  the  maxims  of  the  antiquated  civil  and 
canon  law  would  always  be  introduced  when  required. 
The  judge  had  thus  the  power  of  resorting  to  either 
as  he  pleased,  and  his  arbitrary  decision  might  be  the 
most  potent  element  in  the  proceedings.  This  was 
plainly  equivalent  to  a  denial  of  justice  to  persons 
charged  with  political  offences.  The  remodelled 
magistracv  was  filled  with  subservient  functionaries ; 


30  THE    LIFE    OF    SIR   AXTHOXY    PAXIZZI 

but  the  real  maia-spriiig  of  the  judicial  administration 
was  Besini,  the  Chief  of  Police.  Every  act  of  the 
Government  betrayed  the  same  tendency,  especially 
the  oppressive  system  of  taxation,  introduced  to  re- 
plenish the  Duke's  private  exchequer,  and  the  re- 
strictions imposed  upon  higher  education.  Schools 
and  colleges  were  placed  under  the  control  of  the 
Jesuits ;  and  scholarships  established  for  the  support 
of  poor  students  at  the  universities  were  suppressed, 
the  Duke  declaring  openly  that  jjeople  must  not  he 
encouraged  to  aspire  heyond  their  station.  Every 
person  of  liberality  or  culture  became  disaffected,  and 
as  all  open  expression  of  discontent  was  prohibited,, 
secret  societies  began  to  permeate  the  entire  duchy. 

Matters  were  in  this  state  when  the  sudden  explo- 
sion of  the  Neapolitan  revolution  turned  the  appre- 
hensions of  the  petty  Italian  Governments  into  an 
actual  panic.  Austrian  troops,  hastily  summoned  to 
repress  the  Liberal  movement,  passed  through 
Modena  on  their  march.  Some  of  these  were  Hun- 
garians, a  nation  sympathising  with  Italy.  An  ad- 
dress was  prepared  and  secretly  circulated  among 
them,  imploring  them  not  to  fight  against  the  Nea- 
politans. The  jealousy  of  the  Modenese  Government 
was  roused  to  the  highest  pitch.  Many  arrests  were 
made,  chiefly  by  means  of  espionage  and  the  violation 
of  private  correspondence  ;  and  on  March  14th,  1821, 
a  special  tribunal  was  constituted  for  the  trial  of 
political  offenders.  It  was  the  formal  inauguration 
of  a  reign  of  terror.  "  Avra  luogo,"  says  the  decree, 
"  un  processo  e  un  giudizio  statario — Statario,  dal 
latino  sfatim,  se  mal  non  av^iso,"  is  the  sarcastic  note 
of  the  editor. 


GIULIO    BESIXI  31 

The  etvmolof^v  mio^ht  seem  borne  out  "by  the  m- 
junction  that  the  duration  of  the  proceedings  was  in  no 
case  to  exceed  eight  days,  and  by  the  sinister  regula- 
tion :  "  Si  terra  pronto  il  camefice,  si  potra  secondo 
le  circonstanze,  eriggere  il  patibolo  anche  preven- 
tivamente,  e  si  disporra  per  aver  pronto  un  religioso 
il  quale  assista  coloro  che  fossero  condannati."  The 
priest  and  the  executioner,  however,  were  not  imme- 
diately called  into  requisition;  and  the  Neapolitan 
a,nd  Piedmontese  revolutions  having  been  promptly 
extinguished,  the  tempest  seemed  about  to  pass  off, 
when  suddenly,  about  the  beginning  of  1822,  numerous 
arrests  were  made  of  persons  suspected  of  participa- 
tion in  the  meetings  of  secret  societies.  It  was  soon 
rej)orted  that  one  of  those  implicated  had  denounced 
his  friends,  and  dark  stories  became  current  of  the 
tortures  and  privations  by  which  the  chief  of  the 
police,  Giulio  Besini,  sought  to  wring  out  confession. 
By  a  decree  of  unheard  of  injustice  and  indecency, 
this  natural  enemy  of  the  accused  was  appointed 
their  judge,  and  charged  to  receive  the  depositions 
he  had  himself  extorted.  The  issue  was  eagerly 
awaited,  when,  on  the  evening  of  May  14th,  1822, 
Besini  perished  by  an  unknown  hand.  Besini  was 
taken  home,  surgeons  sent  for,  and  the  blow  declared 
mortal.  Quick  as  lightning  the  welcome  news 
spread  through  Modena,  and  the  people  heard  Avith 
joy  that  there  was  a  man  in  the  toAATi  who  had  been 
bold  enough  to  rid  the  land  of  a  miscreant.  ^Mtli  his 
dying  breath  he  denounced  a  certain  Gaetano  Ponzoni, 
who,  he  said,  had  cause  to  be  his  enemy,  "as  if," 
obsen'es  Panizzi,  "  Ponzoni  ivere  the  only  such  ])€rson 
in  the  duchij. " 


32 


THE    LIFE   OF   SIE   ANTHONY    PANIZZI 


Upon  the  admonition  of  the  attendant  magistrate, 
Sohni,  Besini  acknowledged  that  he  could  not  positively 
identify  his  assailant.  Ponzoni  was  nevertheless 
arrested,  and  Solmi's  humane  interference  cost  him 
his  office.  The  special  tribunal,  hitherto  dormant, 
was  called  into  activity  for  Ponzoni's  trial. 

The  course  of  the  procedure  gave  earnest  of  what 
was  to  follow.  Parenti,  Ponzoni's  advocate,  w-as 
allowed  only  three  days  to  prepare  his  defence,  and 
denied  an  opportunity  of  examining  the  adverse  wit- 
nesses, a  part  even  of  the  written  depositions  was 
withheld  from  him,  he  was  charitably  admonished 
not  to  occupy  the  time  of  the  court  with  tri\ialities, 
and  referred  to  a  secret  Ducal  decree  conferring  un- 
limited powers  on  the  tribunal,  which  could  not  be 
shown  to  the  advocate,  because  it  contained  very  con- 
fidential instructions  intended  for  the  court  alone. 
In  spite  of  all  these  obstacles,  Ponzoni's  innocence 
was  irrefragably  established;  but  his  judges,  afraid  to 
acquit  and  ashamed  to  condemn,  simply  laid  the  pro- 
ceedings before  the  Duke,  w^ho  left  them  unnoticed, 
and  when  Panizzi  wrote,  Ponzoni  was  still  in  prison, 
where  he  remained,  though  innocent,  till  the  year 
1831.  The  true  assassin  proved  to  be  a  certain 
Morandi,  who,  when  safe  in  London,  openly  avowed 
ha\incr  committed  the  deed. 

This  prosecution  was  but  a  preliminary  to  the  in- 
dictment of  the  unfortunate  men  who  had  languished 
in  capti\ity  since  the  beginning  of  the  year.  About 
the  middle  of  June  the  commission  appointed  to  tr}' 
them  commenced  its  session  at  Fort  Rubiera.  Its 
first  task  was  to  receive  the  confessions  extorted  from 


GIULIO    BESINI  33 

tlie  prisoners  during  their  incarceration,  and  to  elude 
the  numerous  retractations  of  the  accused.  All  these 
avowals  proved  to  have  been  obtained  under  Besini's 
management  by  fraud  or  force.  Manzotti  had  been 
chained  to  a  wall  in  such  a  manner  as  to  oblige  him 
to  remain  in  an  erect  position  until  he  subscribed  to 
what  was  required  of  him ;  Nizzoli's  signature  was 
affixed  during  the  paroxysms  of  a  fever  fit,  after  he 
had  been  chained  so  as  not  to  be  able  to  sit  down  for 
foiiy  days.  Conti  was  entrapped  by  a  forged  confes- 
sion attributed  to  another  prisoner;  Alberici  was 
gained  by  allurements  and  flatteries ;  Caronzi  was  per- 
suaded by  the  prayers  and  tears  of  his  wife,  whose 
honour  w^as  said  to  have  been  the  price  of  a  fallacious 
promise  of  her  husband's  deliverance,  he  being  sen- 
tenced to  twenty  years'  penal  servitude,  a  term  reduced 
by  the  Duke  to  fifteen.  Peretti,  Maranesi,  Farioli, 
and  others  testified  to  similar  deceits  and  cruelties 
ineffectually  employed  against  themselves ;  some,  be- 
guiled by  the  inducement  held  out  to  them,  remained 
silent.  The  chief  prosecutor,  Vedriani,  a  man  of 
honour  and  integrity,  called  upon  the  tribunal  to 
acquaint  the  prisoners  that  such  j)romises  were  illu- 
sory and  unauthorised.  His  colleague  Fieri  opposed 
him;  the  question  was  referred  to  the  Duke,  who 
denied  having  authorised  Besini  to  hold  out  any  ex- 
pectations of  indulgence.  Vedriani  insisted  that  the 
culprits  should  be  apprised  of  this  declaration  ;  the 
judges,  fearful  lest  the  unfortunate  men  should  escape 
from  the  snare  into  which  they  had  fallen,  peremp- 
torily negatived  the  demand.  "\'edriani  indignantly 
threw    up     Ids  brief,  and  the   last   hope   of  justice- 


34  THE    LIFE    OF    SIR   AXTHOXY    PANIZZI 

vanished  with  him.  A  more  supj^le  instrument  was 
found,  and  the  prosecution  proceeded  as  the  Govern- 
ment desired.  The  prisoners  were  debarred  from 
choosing  their  own  advocates,  and  those  selected  were 
only  allowed  to  confer  with  them  under  restrictions. 
The  defenders  nevertheless  did  their  duty,  and  al- 
though they  could  not,  without  subverting  the  entire 
judicial  fabric  of  Modena,  as  then  understood,  have 
brought  the  judges  to  acknowledge  the  uselessness  of 
extorted  confessions  (the  sole  evidence  against  most  of 
the  accused) — the  illegality  of  the  tribunal  itself  ah 
initio,  or,  even  granting  its  legality,  the  incomj)etence 
of  the  tribunal  to  take  cognisance  of  offences  which  it 
had  not  been  constituted  to  try — they  deterred  the  court 
from  accepting  the  conclusions  of  the  prosecutor  Fieri. 
This  man  had  demanded  the  execution  of  forty-two 
persons,  at  most  only  guilty  of  belonging  to  a  secret 
society,  and  accused  of  no  overt  oifence  against  public 
tranquility.  The  tribunal  reduced  the  penalty  to 
various  terms  of  imprisonment.  The  sentences,  be- 
fore they  were  pronounced,  had  to  be  submitted  to 
the  Duke  for  confirmation.  Francis,  enraged  at  their 
lenity,  summoned  the  President  of  the  Commission 
before  him,  the  revised  sentences  assumed  a  very  dif- 
ferent complexion,  and  all  the  three  judges  stultified 
their  previous  decision  by  subscribing  them  '■'■  jperche 
tale  fit  la  Sovrana  mente  e  wlonta''  Nine  of  the 
accused,  some  of  whom  had  fortunately  made  their 
escape,  were  condemned  to  death ;  the  remainder  to 
the  galleys  or  imprisonment  for  life,  or  for  various 
periods.  A  Ducal  decree  appeared  after  some  delay 
maintaining  the  punishment  of  death  against  those 


CARBOXARISM  35^ 

who  had  escaped,  pronouncing  a  virtual  sentence  of 
imprisonment  for  life  against  those  Avho  had  stead- 
fastly maintained  their  innocence,  and  extending 
marked  indul^'ence  to  those  who  had  merited  it  bv  a 
"  sincere,  promiit,  and  siwntaneous  confession,'''  in 
other  words,  those  who  had  been  cajoled  or  intimi- 
dated into  betraying  their  associates.  The  latter  part 
of  Panizzi's  publication  is  occupied  with  a  legal  de- 
monstration of  the  incompetence  of  a  tribunal  consti- 
tuted to  try  charges  of  high  treason  to  deal  with  the 
mere  offence  of  belonging  to  a  secret  society.  The 
argument  seems  conclusive,  but  in  fact  the  tribunal 
had  voluntarily  branded  itself  mth  a  deeper  mark 
than  any  that  its  assailant's  eloquence  or  ingenuity 
could  have  affixed  to  it. 

On  a  perusal  of  the  sentences,  which  are  given 
*'  tofidem  verbis  "  in  the  appendix  of  the  book,  the 
civilized  reader  remarks  with  astonishment  that,  on 
the  tribunal's  own  shelving,  half  the  offences  for  which 
it  awards  penalties  are  not  proved  at  all.  First,  is 
recited  a  series  of  facts  considered  to  be  established,  bv 
far  the  greater  part  of  Avhich  relate  merely  to  the 
presence  of  the  inculpated  person  at  the  formal  re- 
ception of  some  new  member  into  a  secret  society. 
Then,  in  many  instances,  comes  a  second  string  of 
accusations,  confessedly  not  proved,  but  considered 
possible  '' perche  si  ha  imre  in  processo  cpialche 
indizioy     And  sentence  is  equally  awarded  for  both  ! 

The  reasons,  for  which  the  sentence  on  a  priest, 
Giuseppe  Andreoli,  was  carried  out,  are  worthy  of 
attention  : — 

1.  Because  he  had  committed  a  crime  which  was 
punishable  with  death. 


S6  THE    LIFE    OF   SIR   ANTHONY   PANIZZI 

2.  Because  he  had  been  the  means  of  corrupting- 
the  younger  part  of  the  community. 

3.  Because  he  had  abused  the  situation  of  Pro- 
fessor of  Belles  Lettres,  at  Correggio,  in  converting 
it  into  an  instrumemt  of  Carbonarism. 

4.  Because  he  had  confessed  his  crime  too  late, 
and  not  within  that  time,  which  the  Duke  had  fixed 
upon  as  available  for  such  confessions. 

As  to  the  latter,  it  is  to  be  borne  in  mind,  that  he 
confessed,  simply  on  account  of  the  Duke's  encourage- 
ment. The  sentence  was  confirmed  on  the  11th  of 
October,  1822,  not  because  it  was  legally  necessary, 
but,  indeed,  for  the  personal  gratification  of  Francis 
IV ;  "  Invocando  il  Santissimo  noine  di  Gesii." 

At  the  period  of  the  production  of  this  work 
Panizzi's  own  process  was  in  suspense.  He  mentions 
it  in  a  note,  complaining  of  the  delay,  as  intended  to 
discredit  him  in  the  eyes  of  the  other  Italian  patriots. 
His  cousin,  Francesco  Panizzi,  had,  it  appears,  made 
some  sort  of  confession,  and  been  treated  with 
suspicious  lenity.  If  the  Modenese  Government  had 
any  intention  of  forcing  or  enticing  Antonio  into  the 
like  course  of  action  with  his  cousin,  it  must  have 
been  frustrated  by  his  publication,  which  may 
account  for  the  impotent  passion  evinced  in  the  sub- 
sequent proceedings  against  him.  The  work  would 
be  felt  the  more  irritating  from  its  sobriety  of  manner, 
its  moderation  even  in  the  midst  of  invective,  and  its 
constant  appeal  to  establish  legal  principle,  as  the 
criterion  of  the  whole  question.  While  proclaiming 
his  fervent  asjoirations  for  the  independence  of  his. 
country,  the  author  incidentally  disclaims  any  partici- 


CARBOXARISil  37 

pation  in  the  proceedings  of  the  Carbonari,  and  the 
commission  of  any  act  tending  to  the  overthrow  of 
the  existing  Government. 

Such  would  be  the  natural  attitude  of  a  citizen  like 
Panizzi,  and  he  may  well  have  affiliated  himself  to 
the  secret  society,  as  at  that  time  the  sole  efficient 
agent  in  the  cause  of  Italian  freedom. 

It  is,  nevertheless,  difficult  to  conceive  a  man  of 
his  solid  sense  and  practical  sagacity,  long  acquiescing 
in  the  mummery  of  a  Carbonarist  conclave,  and  sub- 
mitting to  be  kno^vn  to  the  initiated  as  Thrasybulus 
or  Archimedes.  He  represents,  however,  all  the  more 
faithfully,  the  indignation  of  the  generous  youth  who 
had  grown  up  under  the  comparative  liberty  of 
Napoleon's  sway,  and  who,  on  attaining  maturity, 
found  themselves  deprived  by  political  changes  in 
other  countries,  of  their  birthright  in  their  own ;  for- 
bidden to  call  or  think  themselves  Italians ;  and  with 
every  avenue  in  life  closed  against  them,  unless  they 
consented  to  become  instruments  of  a  cruel  and  sense- 
less despotism. 

As  this  generation  has  passed  away  other  aspects  of 
the  Italian  question  have  come  into  greater  promin- 
ence ;  the  stately  tree  of  Italian  unity  has  covered  the 
soil  in  which  it  originally  took  root.  Even  more  as 
a  picture  of  contemporary  national  feeling,  than  as  an 
exj)osure  of  the  fraud  and  cruelty  of  an  extinct 
tyranny,  is  Panizzi's  youthful  Avork,  worthy  of  being 
rescued  from  the  oblivion  to  which  he  for  so  lon<j 
condemned  it. 

Deeply  interesting  as  are  these  recollections    of  the 
struggle  for  freedom  in  Italy,  and  intimately  as  they 
d2 


38  THE    LIFE   OF   SIR   ANTHONY    PAXIZZI 

are  connected  with  the  life  of  Panizzi,  than  whom  no 
stauncher  advocate  for  the  liberty  of  his  country  ever 
existed,  it  must  not  be  forgotten  that  the  object  we 
have  immediately  in  view  is  to  refer  to  these  exciting 
events  so  far  only  as  Panizzi  himself  was  concerned 
with  them,  and  not  to  allow  ourselves  to  be  carried 
away  by  our  subject  beyond  the  limits  necessary  to 
elucidate  the  object  we  have  at  heart. 


II 


CHAPTER   II 

Flight;   Luf/ano ;   Arrival  in  London;    SaJita-Rosa ;    Sentence    of 
Death ;    Liverpool ;    Boscoe    and    Friends ;    Letter    to    the   Tax- 
Gatherer  and  Lnspector  of  Finances  ;  Miss  Martin  ;  Lectures. 


T  IS  HARDLY  possible  for  a  native  of  a 
free  country  to  form  a  right  conception 
of  the    more   than    fatherly   interest 
formerly  taken  by  the  petty  prince  of 
an  Italian  State  in  the  welfare  of  his 
subjects.     kSo   deeply  impressed  Avith  this  feeling  was 
Francis  IV,   Duke   of  Modena,  Panizzi's  patron   of 
yore,  that  he  was  in  the  habit  at  this  time  (1821)  of 
sending  regularly  during  the  week  one  of  his  own 
private    carriages     into     Brescello    for    the    express 
purpose  of  bringing  back  two  persons  (whose  names 
were  set  down  in  his  orders,  but  not  divulged)  whom 
it  was,  doubtless,  his  intention  to  reclaim  from  evil 
opinions,  to  save  them  from  the  dangers  to  which  such 
opinions  might  lead,  and  to  hold  them  up  as  examples 
of  his  paternal  care,  or,  it  is  just  possible,  as  a  warning 
to  the  remainder  of  his  people.    The  Brescelleso,  either 
from  uneasiness  of  conscience  or  from  a  natural  dislike 
to  all  that  was  good,  regarded  both  the  duke's  inten- 
tions and  his  carriage  with  aversion.     Of  all  men  the 
least  anxious  for  a  seat  in  it  were  Panizzi  and  his 


40  THE    LIFE    OP   SIR    ANTHONY   PANIZZl 

friend  Dr.  Minzi,  whom,  it  may  be  remembered,  he 
had  initiated  into  Carbonarism.  It  happened  one  day, 
as  these  two  friends  were  taking  their  afternoon  stroll 
along  the  Reggio  road,  that  the  ill-omened  carriage 
suddenly  appeared  in  the  distance.  Their  only 
resource  was  to  throw  themselves  into  the  ditch  by 
the  roadside,  and  remain  concealed  as  closely  as  pos- 
sible until  the  fatal  vehicle  had  passed.  This  they 
accordingly  did,  and,  as  good  luck  would  have  it, 
■escaped  unnoticed.  To  return  to  BresccUo  was  to 
meet  the  carriage  a  second  time  in  all  probability,  for 
they  suspected,  and  not  without  reason,  that  they 
themselves  were  the  two  persons  who  were  to 
take  a  forced  drive  to  Modena — a  journey  for 
which,  at  present,  they  felt  little  inclination.  It  was 
decided,  therefore,  as  a  temporary  measure,  to  cross 
the  frontier,  and  both  being  nimble  of  foot  and  with 
bodies  w^ell  trained,  as  becomes  all  wise  and  prudent 
men,  by  athletic  exercise,  they  fled  across  country 
with  all  possible  speed  for  the  Parmese  territory. 
Arrived  on  this  hospitable  soil,  the  story  goes  that 
they  threw  themselves  prone  upon  it,  and  actually  (not 
figuratively)  kissed  it,  pouring  forth  their  heartfelt 
thanks  to  Providence  for  their  deliverance  from  im- 
pending evil.  Their  position  was  even  now  far  from 
enviable.  It  was  imjDossible  for  them  to  remain  on 
Parmese  ground,  and  they  were  fully  aware  that  perils 
as  great  as  those  from  which  they  had  just  escaj)ed 
lay  before  them.  Exhausted  as  they  were,  they  held 
a  council  on  the  road,  in  doubt  whether  to  proceed  or 
xeturn  to  Brescello.  The  conclusion  at  which  they 
arrived  was  that  the  better  plan  was  to  go  back  and 


FLIGHT  41 

make  careful  inquiries  in  the  neighbouring  villages, 
in  order  to  ascertain  who  were  the  two  persons  for 
whom  the  agents  of  the  police  were  seeking.  On  that 
very  night,  therefore,  they  returned,  reaching  Brescello 
about  daybreak,  and  learnt  to  their  great  satisfaction 
that  their  names  had  never  been  mentioned.  Here 
they  seemed  to  have  secured  repose  ;  but,  as  it  turned 
out,  of  short  duration,  lasting  only  for  the  space  of 
two  months ;  for  on  the  22nd  of  October  in  the  same 
year  Panizzi  received  a  slight  message  summoning  him 
to  the  police  office,  where  he  accordingly  attended. 
Hardly  had  he  reached  the  door  when  he  was  arrested. 
Throughout  all  his  misfortunes  he  seems  not  to  have 
been  without  his  share  of  good  luck.  The  man  who 
arrested  him  proved  to  be  a  friend,  and  by  the  aid  of 
this  kindly  official  he  was  enabled  to  jump  out  of  a 
window,  and  again  make  his  Avay  for  the  frontier. 

It  mav  not  be  uninterestino^  to  mention  here  that 
this  man  afterwards  became  an  Austrian  spy.  Many 
years  later  on,  while  Panizzi  was  on  a  journey  to  Italy, 
and  had  arrived  at  the  frontier,  some  one  ap- 
proached the  carriage  and  demanded  his  passport.  It 
was,  of  course,  handed  over.  On  returning  it  the 
man  said,  "  Bicon  viaggio,  Sir/nor  Panizzi !"  and  he 
recognised  his  friend  of  the  Brescello  police-office. 

In  the  meantime,  and  before  his  arrest,  the  refugee, 
whose  good  luck  it  must  be  confessed  was  mainly 
owing  to  his  sagacity  and  foresight,  had  taken  care  to 
provide  himself  with  a  passport.  This,  strange  to  say, 
he  obtained  duly  endorsed,  tiirough  a  friend  of  Count 
Munarini,  then  Minister  of  Foreign  Affairs.  In 
addition  to  this  passport,  he  had  also  armed  himself 


42  THE    LIFE    OF   SIR   ANTHONY    PANIZZI 

with  another  document,  ahnost  equally  useful.  This 
was  a  pass,  in  the  form  usually  given  to  labourers  who 
wished  to  absent  themselves  for  the  day.  With  these 
papers  in  his  possession  he  crossed  the  Po  to  Viadana, 
and,  setting  out  from  thence  in  company  with  Minzi, 
Zatti  and  Montani,  arrived  at  Cremona,  where  he  was 
recognised  by  the  Austrian  police-agent  Ticino,  who 
endeavoured  to  arrest  his  further  progress.  In  this 
attempt,  however,  he  failed ;  Panizzi's  passport  being 
perfectly  en  regie.  Nevertheless,  he  succeeded  at  the 
instigation  of  a  notorious  spy  named  Antonioli  in 
robbing  the  fugitive  of  a  portion  of  his  luggage. 

From  Cremona  he  made  his  way  as  well  as  he  could 
to  Switzerland,  where  he  took  up  his  quarters  at 
Lugano.  Here  he  wrote  his  "  Processi  di  Buhiera,'' 
and  at  first  thought  of  settling  in  the  place,  as  this  was  a 
free  toAvn,  near  his  own  home.  It  may  be  as  well  to  keep 
the  memory  of  wrongs  before  the  world,  and  it  is  un- 
fortunately the  way  of  unsuccessful  men  in  general, 
and  of  unsuccessful  revolutionists  in  particular,  not  to 
accept  defeat  philosophically,  but  after  all  hope 
of  success  has  departed,  still  to  irritate  those 
whom  they  have  failed  to  dispossess  or  overcome. 
From  this  pardonable  defect  Panizzi  was,  as  might  be 
expected,  not  more  free  than  the  rest  of  mankind. 
His  restless  and  energetic  disposition  would  not  allow 
him  to  refrain  from  political  controversy,  and  the 
character  of  his  writings  so  provoked  the  Austrians 
that  he  was  ordered  to  quit  Lugano  and  proceed  to 
Geneva.  Thither  he  accordingly  went,  but  not  to 
remain  long ;  his  objectionable  reputation  had  preceded 
him,  and  the  representatives  of  Austria,  France,  and  Sar- 


FLIGHT  4o 

dinia  insisted  on  his  expulsion.  England  was  the  only 
country  now  open  to  himself  and  his  brother  exiles, 
and  thither  they  determined  to  journey  by  way  of 
France ;  but,  as  they  were  not  certain  that  the  French 
authorities  would  allow  refugees  to  pass  through  their 
country,  it  was  decided  to  send  forward  Signor  Bezzi 
(afterwards  well-known  in  England  as  Mr,  G.  Aubrey 
Bezzi,  who  died  in  Piedmont  only  a  few  months 
before  Panizzi)  to  exjiloiter  the  route.  This  gentle- 
man's exploitation  must  be  held  to  have  fallen  a  little 
short  of  complete  success.  At  Gex,  a  small  town  in 
France,  in  the  Department  of  Ain,  and  about  11  miles 
from  Geneva,  he  was  stopped,  unceremoniously 
stripped,  and  after  being  thoroughly  searched  and  ex- 
amined, sent  back.  There  was,  however,  a  way  to 
England  still  left  to  the  party,  by  the  Rhine  and  the- 
Netherlands,  and  by  this  route  they  arrived  in  London 
in  May,  1823.  It  is  painful  to  have  to  record  that 
the  slenderness  of  their  means  obliged  them  to  live  in 
a  state  bordering  on  actual  destitution.  The  author 
clearly  recollects  hearing  Panizzi  narrate  that,  in  these 
days  of  his  indigence,  fourteen-pence  was  all  he  al- 
lowed himself  for  breakfast  and  dinner,  and  how 
well  he  remembered  spending  one  portion  of  an  after- 
noon in  gazing  through  the  windows  of  a  cook-shop 
watching  with  hungry  eyes  the  more  fortunate  mortals 
who  were  satisfying  their  appetites  within ;  and  this 
reminiscence  gained  additional  zest  from  the  fact  that 
it  was  related  at  a  banquet. 

London  at  this  period  was  full  of  refugees,  from 
every  country  and  of  every  grade,  including  presidents 
of  republics,  generals,  men  of  letters,  lawyers,  poets,  etc. 


44  THE    LIFE    OF    SIR   ANTHONY    PAXIZZI 

At  first  these  various  celebrities  enjoyed  a  con- 
siderable amount  of  notoriety,  no  small  part  of  wliicli 
was  bestowed  upon  them  by  the  newspaper  writers, 
who  seemed  for  some  time  to  be  indefatigable  in 
drawing  public  notice  to  the  exiles,  and  in  relating 
exciting  anecdotes  of  this  or  that  famous  person 
sojourning  amongst  them.  In  due  course,  however, 
the  novelty  of  the  thing  wore  oiF,  and  readers,  hav- 
ing had  a  surfeit  of  such  accounts,  the  newspapers 
gradually  ceased  to  stimulate  their  curiosity,  and  the 
expatriated  heroes  were  forgotten  by  the  public  at 
large. 

If,  as  the  maxim  is,  a  man  may  be  known  by  the 
society  he  keeps,  Panizzi,  who  seems  at  most  times  to 
have  had  peculiar  good  fortune  in  attracting  to  him- 
self men  of  worth,  both  privately  and  publicly,  must 
be  allowed  to  have  stood  high  in  this  respect. 

His  dearest  friend  at  this  period  of  hJLs  life  in  Lon- 
don was  the  illustrious  Piedmontese  statesman,  San- 
torre  Santa-Rosa,  who,  the  life  and  soul  of  the  great 
patriotic  movement  then  lately  made  to  achieve  the 
freedom  of  his  country,  was  born  at  Savigliano  in  Sar- 
dinia, in  September,  1783.  He  was  the  author  of 
the  History  of  the  Piedmontese  Revolution,  a  work 
which  breathes  the  true  spirit  of  national  liberty,  and 
exhibits  its  WTiter  as  a  most  determined  foe  to  any- 
thing in  the  shape  of  foreign  domination.  Forced  by 
his  Government  to  expatriate  himself  in  1821,  Santa 
Rosa  went  to  Switzerland,  but  being,  like  Panizzi, 
compelled  by  the  Austrian  and  Sardinian  Govern- 
ments to  quit  that  country,  he  betook  himself  to 
France,  taking   u])  his  residence  in  Paris,  where  he 


ii'LIGHT  45 

assumed  the  name  of  Conti,  and  became  the  bosom 
friend  of  Victor  Cousin.  Early  in  October,  1822,  he 
arrived  in  England,  on  the  merits  and  defects  of  which 
country  he  makes  the  following  quaint  comment  in 
one  of  his  letters  to  his  brother  exiles  :— "  Here  I  have 
been  received  with  sincerity  and  kindness.  I  also 
admire  the  virtuous  habits  of  the  English,  but  cannot 
get  used  to  their  mode  of  cooking." 

For  ourselves,  as  true  lovers  of  our  country,  we  are  too 
well  content  with  the  eulogy  at  the  beginning,  to  take 
exception  to  the  blame  of  one  of  our  institutions  im- 
plied in  the  concluding  part  of  the  sentence. 

In  November,  1824,  Santa-Rosa  left  England  for 
Napoli  di  Romania  to  light  for  the  cause  of  Greek 
independence,  and  was  killed  in  battle  on  the  19th 
of  May,  1825.  His  death  was  a  sad  blow  to  the  band 
of  Italian  patriots  in  London,  but  especially  to  Panizzi, 
who  had  looked  up  to  him  as  a  father  and  a  counsellor, 
and  had  kept  up  a  constant  correspondence  with  him. 
There  are  in  our  possession  but  two  letters  written  by 
Santa-Rosa  to  his  friend,  dated  respectively  the  5th 
September  and  13th  November,  1823,  from  "The 
Green  Cottage,  South  Bank,  St.  John's  Wood,"  a  part 
of  the  town  much  affected  as  a  dwelling  place  by  the 
leading  refugees.  Conspicuous  in  these  are  the  writer  s 
affection  for  Panizzi  and  anxious  care  for  his  welfare ; 
nor  are  matters  of  mental  instruction  omitted,  for  we 
find  strong  recommendations  carefully  to  study  the 
political  and  literary  history  of  Italy,  and  also  "  note 
all  the  most  important  ])oints  of  Ewilish  habits^ 
After  Santa-Rosa,  Panizzi's  chief  friends,  with  whom 
during   his   stay  in    to^^Tl   he   spcmt   a  great   portion 


46  THE    LIFE    OF    SIR  ANTHONY    PANIZZI 

of  his  time,  were  the  brothers  Camillo  and  Filippo 
Ugoni,  both  literary  men  of  some  note. 

Shortly  after  Panizzi's  arrival  in  London  he  was 
tried  in  his  absence  on  the  charge  of  Carbonarism,  in 
which  it  has  been  shown  that  he  was  deeply  impli- 
cated. Of  this,  as  might  have  been  expected,  he  was 
found  guilty  on  pretty  clear  evidence,  and,  in  default 
of  appearance,  was  sentenced  to  death  by  the  Govern- 
ment of  Modena. 

Subjoined  is  a  translation  of  the  sentence  : — 

Invoking  the  name  of  God  Most  Holy,  in  the  reign  of 
Francis  IV.  Duke  of  Modena,  Reggio,  and  Mirandola,  Arch- 
duke of  Austria,  Prince  Royal  of  Hungary  and  Bohemia. 

The  Special  Tribunal,  instituted  by  revered  sovereign  sign 
manual  of  28  July,  1823, 

Having  assembled  at  the  Palace  of  Justice,  and  in  the 
chamber  duly  appointed  for  the  purpose  of  trying  the  Doctor 
of  Laws,  Antonio,  son  of  Luigi  Panizzi,  native  of  and  domi- 
ciled   at   Brescello,    province   of  Reggio,  contumacious,   and 

CRIMINALLY  ARRAIGNED : 

1.  For  that  he,  being  already  enrolled  in  a  prohibited  sect, 
took  part  with  other  persons  known  to  the  judicial  authorities 
in  the  reception  into  the  sect  of  Carbonari  of  the  appraiser 
Francesco  Panizzi,  and  Doctor  Domenico  Griglioli  of  Brescello, 
in  the  afternoon  of  the  11th  of  March,  1821,  in  his  own  office 
situated  in  his  dwelling  house  at  Brescello. 

2.  For  that  he  in  the  evening  of  the  next  day,  the  12th,  did 
with  other  persons  likewise  known  to  the  judicial  authorities 
take  part  in  the  reception  into  the  sect  of  Carbonari  of  the 
apothecary  Bartolomeo  Panizzi  of  Brescello,  which  reception 
took  place  in  the  office  of  the  appraiser  Francesco  Panizzi, 
situated  in  his  dwelling  house  at  Brescello. 

Having  referred  to  the  documents  drawn  up  by  the  acting 
Director  of  Police,  Doctor  Pietro  Curti,   and   to  the  further 


FLIGHT  47 

documents  before  this  Tribunal,  and  particularly  to  tlie  charges 
issued  against  the  accused  by  the  special  inquisition  on  the  1st, 
and  the  19th  of  September  last  past; 

Havino-  referred  to  the  inferences  of  the  Procurator  Fiscal  of 
this  Tribunal,  Advocate  Felice  Fieri ; 

Considering  that  the  results  of  the  legal  proceedings  taken 
ao"ainst  the  said  contumacious  Dr.  Panizzi  prove  that  he  cer- 
tainly  belonged  to  a  proscribed  sect,  and  moreover  clearly 
demonstrate  that  he  was  anxious  to  gain  proselytes  for  the  sect 
of  Carbonari,  and  to  promote  by  every  means  the  efforts  of 
the  confederates,  and  the  object  at  which  they  were  aiming, 
that  is  the  overthrow  and  destruction  of  our  present  lawful 
government  ; 

Considering  that  the  deposition  of  the  appraiser  Panizzi  and 
those  of  Giuseppe  Alberici,  of  Dr.  Giuseppe  Minzi  and  of  Dr. 
G-iov.  Batt*  Cavandoli  all  of  Brescello,  show  that  the  accused 
Panizzi  took  part  in  the  reception  into  the  sect  of  Carbonari  of 
the  said  appraiser  Panizzi  and  of  Dr.  Domenico  Griglioli  of 
Brescello,  which  took  place  at  his  own  house  and  exactly  in 
the  office  of  the  accused  himself,  in  the  afternoon  of  the  first 
Sunday  in  Lent,  in  the  year  1821,  that  is  on  the  11th  of 
Marcii  in  the  said  year,  whilst  amongst  the  said  persons  there 
are  some  wlio  assert  that  the  accused  himself  acted  there  as 
chief,  and  also  instructed  the  aforesaid  Giglioli  and  appraiser 
Panizzi,  the  first  of  whom  likewise  confesses  that  his  aggre- 
gation to  the  sect,  which  he  afterwards  found  to  be  that  of  the 
Carbonari,  and  which  was  even  indicated  to  him  as  such  by 
the  accused  Panizzi,  took  place  with  the  participation  of  the 
said  accused  and  in  the  place  above-mentioned  ; 

Considering  that  in  regard  to  the  aggregation  of  the  apothe- 
cary Panizzi  to  the  Carbonari  sect  with  the  participation  of  the 
accused,  there  are  the  depositions  of  the  former  as  well  as  of 
the  appraiser  Panizzi  and  of  Cavandoli,  who  were  present 
there  with  others,  and  that  those  depositions  are  corroborated 
by  the  extrajudicial  confession  of  the  accused  himself,  made 
to  Kizzoli  on  the  very  evening  of  the  event,  that  he  had  in- 


48  THE    LIFE    OF    SIR   ANTHONY '  PANIZZI 

troduced  tlie  said  apothecary  Panizzl  into  tlie  Carbonari  sect, 
and  made  a  Carbonaro  of  the  said  Panizzi,  and  subsequently 
with  rco-ard  to  Gin-lioli  that  he  too  had  been  affihated  to  the 
Carbonari  sect; 

As  the  said  Panizzi  still  persists  in  his  contumacy,  which  in 
terms  of  the  law  is  equivalent  to  imputed  confession,  and  con- 
sidering that  all  the  formalities  prescribed  by  T.    12,  L.  4  of 
the  Cod.  Est.  have  been  observed  ; 

Having  referred  to  the  same  code  §§  1,  2,  3,  4,  5,  and  7 
of  L.  5.  T.  2. — §  9.  L.  4,  7,  15,  and  the  sovereign  edict  20 
September,  1820  ; 

The  above-mentioned  tribunal  has  condemned,  and  does 
condemn,  the  contumacious  Doctor  of  Laws,  Antonio  Panizzi, 
to  the  punishment  of 

DEATH 

to  be  executed  on  his  effigy,  to  confiscation  of  his  property, 
and  in  the  costs. 

Modena,  6  October,  1823. 

Giuseppe  Cons'"''  Terni,  President. 
V^  Cavedoni,  Judge. 
C.  Tassoni,  Judge. 

P.  Pedresclii,    Chancellor. 

This  sentence  was  promulgated  by  me  in  due  form  this  20 
October,  1823.  Pedrcschi,  Chancellor. 

A  true  copy.  Pedreschi,  Chancellor. 

These  hair-breadth  escapes  may  be  very  amusing- 
and  pleasant  to  read  about,  but  to  the  j)i'ii^cipal 
person  concerned,  who  was  thoroughly  capable  of 
appreciating  the  various  positions  and  vicissitudes  of 
life,  they  must  have  conveyed  anything  but  agreeable 
impressions,  or  conduced  to  the  ease  of  mind  so  ac- 
ceptable to  mankind  in  general. 


FLIGHT 


49 


J&^ 


Panizzi  remained  but  a  short  time  in  London.  The 
celebrated  Ugo  Foscolo,  to  whom  the  Ugoni  had 
introduced  him,  had  strongly  advised  him  at  once 
to  quit  the  metropolis  and  to  try  his  fortunes  at 
Liverpool,  where  there  was  more  likelihood  of  his 
obtaining  employment.  Foscolo  furnished  him  with 
letters    of  introduction   to   William  Roscoe,  author 

of  the  life   of  Leo  X.,  and  also 
to  other  distinguished   Liverpool 
men.     How  he  was  received  by 
Eoscoe,     the    following   passage 
in  the  biography   of  the   latter 
(Lond.    1833),    vol.    ii.,  p.   406, 
will  shoAv: — "It    was    the    good 
fortune   of  Mr.  Eoscoe  to  retain, 
even  to  the  close  of  his  life,  that 
power  of   attracting   the    friend- 
ship of  others  which    had   been 
from  his  youth   one  of  his  most 
marked  characteristics.     Amongst  these,  the  friends 
of  his   age,  there  was    no  one   who   became    more 
sincerely  attached  to  him,  or  for  whom  he  himself 
felt  a  higher  degree  of  esteem  and   affection   than 
Mr.  Panizzi,  an  Italian  gentleman,  who   had   been 
compelled,  in  consequence  of  political  persecutions,  to 
abandon  Italy  and  to  take   refuge  in  England.     Soon 
after  his  arrival  in  this  country  he  settled  in  Liver- 
pool as  a  teacher  of  the  Italian  language,  where  his 
talents  and  worth  soon  won  the  regard  of  Mr.  Eos- 
coe.    To  the  kindness  and   attention  of  Mr.  Panizzi, 
which    rather    resembled    that    of   a  son  than   of  a 
stranger,  he  owed  many  happy  hours."     Mr.  Eoscoe 
died  on  June  30th,  1831. 


50  THE    LIFE    OF    SIR  ANTHONY   PANIZZI 

At  his  death  Panizzi  received  the  following  letter: — 

Lodge-lane,  30th  June,  1831. 

So  affectionately  attached  as  you  have  been  to  my  father,  I 
cannot  let  you  learn  the  sad  intelligence  which  this  letter  will 
convey  from  anybody  but  one  of  his  own  family. 

He  was  seized  last  week  with  a  violent  cold  or  influenza, 
accompanied  with  fever.  At  first  we  thought  him  getting 
over  it,  but  on  Monday  night  he  was  attacked  with  a  shivering 
fit  and  being  put  to  bed  he  never  rose  again.  His  strength 
failed  him  rapidly,  and  this  morning  at  11  o'clock  he  breathed 
his  last  quite  peacefully. 

It  is  a  great  consolation  to  know  that  he  suffered  no  acute 
pain,  and  his  mind  seemed  perfectly  composed. 

Yours,  &c.,  H.  EOSCOE. 

The  centenary  of  William  Eoscoe's  birth  was  cele- 
brated at  Liveri^ool  on  the  8th  March,  1853,  and 
Panizzi  was  of  course  asked  to  attend. 

In  replying  to  the  invitation  he  said: — "Feb.  19, 
1853.  .  .  .  The  veneration  in  which  I,  together 
with  all  lovers  of  truth,  of  freedom,  of  independence, 
of  literature,  and  of  the  arts,  hold  the  memory  of  that 
illustrious  man,  and  the  grateful  recollection  of  the 
warm  and  affectionate  regard  with  which  I  was 
honoured  by  him,  are  inducements  so  powerful  to 
accept  so  kind  an  invitation  as  that  which  your  letter 
conveys,  that  nothing  but  the  absolute  impossibility  of 
leaving  my  duties  here  could  restrain  me  from  avail- 
ing myself  of  it." 

Before  Panizzi  left  London  he  received  from  Italy 
n  most  curious  bill  for  money  due  from  him ;  such  a 
bill  as  few  men  have  ever  received  at  any  time, 
and  such  as  many  men,  Panizzi,  probably,  amongst 
the  number,  would  hardly  consider  the  most  unpleasant 


LIVEKPOOL  S^ 

of  their  kind.  It  was  from  the  Inspector  of  Finances 
and  Tax-gatherer  (Isi^ettore  ed  Esattore  di  Finanze) 
at  Pteggio,  who,  having  heard  of  Panizzi's  escape  and 
arrival  in  SwitzerLand,  sent  him  an  account  of  money 
spent  in  preparing  his  accusation,  sentence  of  death, 
and  even  for  the  expenses  of  his  execution,  "  vu  con- 
timiaciam:'  The  actual  sum  demanded  was  225 
francs  and  25  cents,  including  the  usual  fee  for  the 

hanfjman. 

In  his  then  low  state  of  spirits  Panizzi  hardly  felt 
equal  to  answering  this  amusing  epistle  in  a  befitting 
manner,  and  accordingly  postponed  his  reply  until 
after  his  arrival  at  Liverpool,  whence  he  sent  the 
following  humorous  letter  : — 

{Translation^)  llcalin  of  Death, 

Elysian  Fields, 

10th  May,  1824. 

The  soul  of  whilom  Dr.  Antonio  Panizisi, 

To  the  Inspector  of  Finances  and  Tax-gatherer  of  the  Pro- 
vince of  Rcggio  (Satanic  Domain). 

The  body  animated  by  me  before  I  was  smitten  by  the 
pointless  stiletto  of  Terni,  Cavedoni,  and  crew,  and  now  living 
at  Liverpool,  by  the  grace  of  God  sound  and  so  sprightly  that 
those  who  see  it  think  that — spite  of  ]\Iodena's  Dukeling — I 
have  not  yet  forsaken  it,  has  sent  mc  in  my  abode  here  a  letter 
of  yours,  No.  14  of  the  2Gth  of  March  last  past,  requesting  in- 
formation or  reply.  Now  I,  in  compliance  with  the  latter 
solicitation,  have  to  tell  you  tliat,  mindful  of  the  maxim 
"  mors  omnia  solvit,"  I  do  not  consider  that  since  my  departure 
I  have  any  longer  either  assets  or  liabilities  in  that  miserable 
world  of  yours;  unless  you  mean  to  say  that,  notwithstanding 
the  Holy  Alliance,  I  am  still  united  to  that  body  of  mine  at 
Liverpool  ;  wh.ich  would  be  a  deadly  sin  ipso  facto  ct  jure 
incurring  the  penalty  of  higher  e.i'conmimtcalion,  from  which 


52  THE   LIFE    OF  SIR    ANTHONY    PANIZZI 

none  but  sl  fashionable  Jesuit  could  absolve  me,  for  havino-had 
the  audacity  to  suggest  a  doubt  of  your  most  benign  petty 
masterling's  laxcful  authority  to  expel  me  from  the  world. 

Nevertheless,  as  I  and  that  aforesaid  body  of  mine  are 
always  upon  such  good  terms  with  each  other  that  we  might 
still  pass  for  body  and  soul  conjoined,  and  as  the  corporal 
party  through  honourable  industry  can  by  my  direction  dis- 
pose of  a  few  pounds  sterling  without  inconvenience,  I  beg 
you  to  send  to  my  body  at  Liverpool — for  the  post  from  your 
diabolical  State  never  comes  to  disturb  my  rest  here — a  de- 
tailed account  of  the  expenses  and  of  the  food  which  you  tell 
me  ought  to  be  paid  for  to  the  extra-crammed  treasury  of  a 
microscopical  Duke  who  has  been  so  over-weeningly  fatuous  as 
to  send  me  to  dwell  in  this  beatific  place  ;  and  if  your  state- 
ment be  found  correct,  I  will  remit  you  in  discharge  thereof  a 
bill  of  exchange  on  some  Capuchin  bank  payable  at  sight  when 
the  Greek  calends  come.  Only  I  warn  you  to  give  full  par- 
ticulars of  the  food,  for  I  have  an  idea  that  it  was  gobbled  up 
by  the  aforesaid  fleshmongers  Terni,  Cavedoni,  and  crew  ; 
knowing  well  that  my  body,  seasonably  advised  by  me,  spared 
the  Treasury  the  trouble  not  only  of  providing  the  food  to 
be  paid  for  afterwards,  and  xor  which  you  make  a  demand  now, 
but  also  of  preparing  a  lodging  generously  offered  gratis,  only 
rather  too  late.  If  I  perceive  by  the  item — Bottles — that 
Terni  bravely  distinguished  himself  as  a  consummate  hypo- 
crite in  Austrian  service  ought  to  do,  I  will  write  to  him, 
begging  him  to  pardon  me  for  a  letter  which  I  addressed  to 
him,  as  if  I  had  been  on  earth,  telling  him  that  he  acted 
against  me  like  a  hired  assassin,  and  I  will  excuse  him  as  a 
"  drunken  murderer." 

"Wishing  you  a  death  such  as  mine,  I  conclude  without 
further  ceremony,  both  for  the  sake  of  following  your  example 
and  because  such  observances  are  not  much  affected  in  this 
republic. 

The  soul  of  A.  Panizz; 


AT    LIVERPOOL  So- 

It  must  be  acknowledged  that  this  was  rather  a 
substantial  letter  to  emanate  from  the  world  of  spirits, 
and  the  imaginary  separation  of  the  soul  from  the 
"  sound  and  sprightly  "  body  should  certainly  have 
satisfied  his  extraordinary  creditors  and  absolved  him 
from  the  debt. 

Panizzi  had  now  settled  for  the  time  in  Liverpool, 
where  he  kept  up  a  constant  correspondence  with 
absent  friends.  The  two  letters  from  Santa-Rosa,, 
dated  1823,  too  clearly  prove  that  he  was  at  this 
time  in  a  state  of  great  poverty,  and  that  he  thought 
of  returning  to  London,  a  step,  however,  strongly 
opposed  by  his  friend. 

The  capricious  nature  of  the  English  climate— it 
was  in  the  winter  that  he  had  arrived  at  Liverpool — 
seemed  to  discourage  and  depress  him,  perhaps,  more 
than  anything  else  ;  whilst  the  want  of  the  most 
ordinary  comforts  of  life,  even  of  proper  food,  told 
severely  upon  his  health.  His  income  was  chiefly 
derived  from  giving  lessons  in  the  Italian  language 
and  literature  ;  some  of  his  pupils  lived  far  away  from 
the  town,  and  he  used  to  start  on  foot  early  in  the 
morning,  give  his  lessons  and  return  to  Liverpool  by 
eleven  o'clock.  This  was  necessarv,  as  other  duties 
required  his  attendance  in  the  town  at  that  hour; 
and,  when  we  consider  that  the  journey  had  fre- 
quently to  be  made  through  snow  and  rain,  its 
depressing  influence  on  the  spirits  of  the  young 
Italian,  accustomed  to  the  more  genial  climes  of  the 
south,  may  be  readily  understood. 

His  address  at  tliis   date,  December  1823,  is  not 
known,  but  in  the  January  following  he   lodged,  at 
e2 


64  THE    LIFE   OF    SIR    ANTHOIsrY    PANIZZI 

No.  6,  King-street,  Soho.  lie  continued  to  extend 
his  acquaintance  and  was  upon  friendly  terms  with 
the  bankers,  Mr.  Ymes  and  Mr.  Zwilchenbart.  At 
this  period,  too,  he  knew  Mr.  John  Ewart,  at  whose 

house  he  met  Mr.  Francis  Hay- 
wood, the  translator  of  Kant's 
"  Critick  of  Pure  Keason." 

From  these  gentlemen,  who, 
as  well  as  the  Hev.  William 
Shepherd,  author  of  the  "Life 
of  Poggio  Bracciolini,"  were 
among  his  earliest  acquaint- 
ances in  Liverpool,  he  received 
the  greatest  kindness.  With 
Mr.  Haywood  he  soon  became  most  intimate,  and  fre- 
quent communications  passed  between  them.  Lideed, 
if  a  day  elapsed  without  a  letter  from  Mr.  Haywood. 
Panizzi  wrote,  asking  "  why  had  he  not  written." 

Such  were  the  friends,  whom  even  in  his  early 
career,  when  chances  of  success  appeared  at  a  hazy 
distance,  this  young  man  was  able  to  draw  towards 
him,  and  many  more  he  secured  in  after  life. 

The  necessity  of  close  attention  to  his  duties,  and 
the  attractions  of  the  hospitable  society  of  English 
friends,  never  led  him  to  neglect  his  fellow  exiles. 

Amongst  the  latter  was  a  certain  Count  Linati, 
whose  character  and  antecedents  deserve  some  short 
notice  at  our  hands.  Claudio  Linati  was  born  in 
the  Duchy  of  Parma,  on  the  1st  of  Februaiy,  1790. 
Lie  appears  to  have  been  at  one  time  a  man  of  wealth 
and  standing,  but  had  become  deejjly  involved  in 
the  political  complications  of  his  country.     On   the 


LIN  ATI  00 

9th  of  April,  1824,  he  was  tried  in  his  absence  for 
conspiracy  against  his  Government,  and  sentenced  to 
death  in  contumaciam  by  the  Supreme  Tribunal  of 
Parma.  Having  succeeded  in  making  his  escape, 
he  settled  for  a  time  in  Spain,  and  subsequently  in 
France.  He  was  a  writer  and  artist  of  no  mean 
ability.  In  a  letter  to  a  mutual  friend,  Panizzi 
describes  Linati,  as  a  man  of  turbulent  spirit,  on 
whom  nature  had  bestowed  a  robust  constitution, 
proof  against  all  changes  of  climate ;  full  of  energy, 
though  without  any  decided  aim,  an  adept  at  all 
employments,  and  well  versed  in  literature  ;  a  painter 
and  a  poet,  a  writer  of  plays,  too,  both  comic  and  tragic, 
many  of  which  he  delighted  to  read  to  his  friend. 
The  manners  and  customs  of  the  countries  in  whicli 
he  lived  were  his  constant  study,  though  his  views 
of  mankind  in  general  partook  of  his  own  untu- 
tored spirit.  Speaking  of  Spain  he  says  that  priestly 
anarchy  predominates  in  that  country,  and  calls 
France  "  quel  sermlissimo  versatile  compassionevole 
popoletto,''  stigmatising  the  nation  as  "  servile pecus  " 
for  its  submission  to  tyranny.  Linati's  troubles  were 
many,  and  these  it  was  his  constant  pleasure  to 
relate  to  his  friend  at  Liverpool,  in  long  letters 
which  Panizzi  often  answered  by  sharp  criticisms,, 
perhaps  provoked  in  part  by  the  heavy  postage  whicli 
he  had  to  pay,  and  to  which  he  did  not  scruple 
to  call  attention.  In  one  especial  respect  there  was 
great  dissimilarity  between  the  Count  and  Panizzi, 
for  whereas  the  former  for  some  unknown  reason 
hated  England  and  the  English  people,  the  latter 
early  evinced  the  strongest  liking  for  both. 


■56  THE    LIFE    OF    SIR  ANTHONY   PANIZZI 

In  December,  1823,  he  wrote  to  Linati,  minutely 
describing  his  position,  and  concUiding  his  long  letter 
thus : — "  In  spite  of  all  my  sufferings  and  many 
troubles  occasioned  by  poverty,  I  had  rather  live  in 
England  than  in  Italy." 

Upon  this  Linati  wrote  : — "  Though  your  dear  and 
beloved  England  may  in  some  measure  have  slackened 
your  chain,  I  will  nevertheless  tell  you  that  I  still 
prefer  the  Duke  d'Angouleme,  open  enemy  as  he  is, 
to  that  vile  and  infamous  Sir  William  A'Court,  who 
has  betrayed  the  rights  of  hospitality  by  supporting 
a  Government  which,  if  unable  to  save  itself,  ought 
at  least  to  have  saved  others.  I  can  make  a  distinc- 
tion between  the  generous  people  of  England,  whose 
hearts  beat  with  noble  enthusiasm  at  the  war-cry  of 
the  liberal  Spaniards,  as  well  as  the  aspiration  for 
Greek  independence  and  self-government.  I  am 
delighted  to  learn  that  you  are  in  the  way  of  getting 
an  honest  livelihood.  A  hazardous  occupation  is  that 
of  teaching  languages,  particularly  if  you  happen  to 
meet  with  a  pretty  '  Brittanna,'  who,  whilst  she  is 
iinxious  to  learn  how  to  sing  in  Italian,  may  seem 
still  more  anxious  to  master  the  language  of  Petrarch, 
and  suggest  to  her  teacher  that  he  might  assist  her  in 
conjugating  the  verb  amare  (to  love)." 

The  biographer  has  at  this  point  to  deplore  the 
absence  of  some  of  Panizzi's  letters ;  not  only  because 
of  the  interesting  matter  which  they  are  sure  to  have 
contained,  but  because  curiosity  must  now  remain 
unsatisfied  in  regard  to  the  particular  impression 
made  on  Panizzi's  mind  by  the  suggestion  in  the  last 
paragraph  of  Linati's  letter. 


LINATI  67 

As  the  Count  was  no  longer  allowed  to  reside  in 
France,  the  police  ordered  him.  to  quit  the  country  at 
once  ;  whereupon  he  emigrated  to  Brussels,  and  here 
he  found  a  letter  from  his  Liverpool  friend,  enclosing 
an  order  for  300  francs.  This  present,  however,  he 
declined  with  thanks.  The  wretched  state  of  the 
Italians,  cast  into  the  streets  of  Paris  penniless,  after 
several  months  of  imprisonment,  gave  Panizzi  and 
Linati  work  enough  to  do.  The  former  used  his  in- 
fluence with  the  Philhellenic  Society  in  London,  and 
the  latter  secured  the  interest  of  Lord  Byron,  of  whom 
he  happened  to  be  an  intimate  friend. 

In  the    summer  of  the  following  year  it  appears 
that  both  intended  to  settle   at  New  York.     Panizzi, 
however,  in  discussing  this  project,  remarked  that  his 
acquaintance,   though    showing  him    every    mark  of 
kindness,  never  seemed  to  lose  sight  of  the  fact  that 
he  was  an  Italian  ;  from  the  Americans,  who  were  "  a 
proud    people,"     there    was    a  fortiori    but    scant 
courtesy  to  be  exj)ected,  and  but  little   advancement 
to  be  hoped  for  in  their  country.      Linati's    answer 
was  : — "  I  do  not  agree  with  you  in  what  you  say 
respecting  the  North  Americans,  for  half  the  popu- 
lation consists  of  adventurers,  and  the  system  of  colo- 
nization being  so  active,  there  will  be  no  difficulties  in 
becoming  a   citizen,  whereas  in   England    you    will 
remain  a  ^foreigner'  for  ever." 

However,  Linati  went  to  Mexico,  and  from  there 
again  indulged  in  his  abuse  of  England  in  these  words  : 
— "  I  cannot  understand  your  sympathy  with  those 
English  tradesmen  ;  for  whilst  living  amongst  them  I 
daily  noticed  cold  and  formal  ceremonials,  stupidity 


58  THE    LIFE    OF    SIR   AXTIIONY   PANIZZI 

provoked  by  drink,  and  the  brutality  of  the  '  prize- 
ring,'  with  its  livid  eyes  and  battered  faces.  Really, 
and  indeed,  my  dear  friend,  I  am  truly  sorry  that  you 
do  not  agree  with  me." 

Linati  seems  to  have  discovered  that  worse  countries 
existed  than  England ;  only  a  short  interval  iiad 
elapsed  before  we  find  him  leaving  Mexico  in  disgust 
and  returning  during  the  winter  of  1827  to  London,, 
where  he  is  heard  of  no  more  until  1830.  In  that 
year  he  was  upon  the  committee  for  remodelling  Italy. 
It  is  certain,  however,  that  in  course  of  time  he  over- 
came his  antipathy  to  Mexico,  for  he  afterwards 
returned  thither,  and  died  at  Tampico  in  the  year 
1832. 

Count  Giuseppe  Pccchio  was  another  of  those  dis- 
tinguished exiles  in  whose  company  Panizzi  delighted. 
Their  long  correspondence  reveals  a  close  intimacy. 
Pecchio,  better  known  in  England  as  the  author  of 
the  "  Semi-serious  Observations  of  an  Italian  Exile 
during  his  liesideuce  in  JEnr/land"  was  also  one  of 
the  victims  of  the  ill-fated  Piedmontese  Eevolution. 
England  was  his  first  refuge,  and,  after  being  engaged 
in  various  occupations,  amongst  others  that  of  Italian 
teacher  at  Nottingham,  he  married  an  English  lady, 
and,  ^^ post  tot  nanfragia  tutus,'''  took  up  his  residence 
at  Brighton. 

The  book,  published  at  Lugano  in  1827,  contains, 
amusing  sketches  of  English  life  from  a  foreigner's 
2)oint  of  view ;  and  after  perusing  it  one  can  safely 
conclude  that  the  Count  was  indebted  for  his  in- 
ferences rather  to  imagination  than  to  memory — per- 
haps to  the  two  combined  more  than  to  actual  facts. 


J 


PECCHIO 


59 


While  residing  in  London  Pecchio  contemplated 
the  production  of  a  periodical,  to  which  Panizzi  was 
to  be  the  chief  contributor,  wdth  Messrs.  Haywood 
an.d  Poscoe  as  his  supporters  in  addition  to  Silvio 
Pellico,  who  was  about  to  be  set  free  on  occasion 
of  the  marriage  of  the  Archduke  Leopold,  and  whose 
presence  was  expected  in  the  metropolis.  This 
formed  a  strong  company  for  the  undertaking,  to 
which  the  promoters  were  justified  in  looking  forward 
with  no  little  hope  of  success.  The  attempt  to  start 
this  periodical,  however,  proved  futile,  and  not  even  a 
number  of  it  ever  appeared. 

On  the  loth  November,  1825,  Pecchio  w-rote  a 
letter  to  Panizzi,  for  the  purpose  of  introducing  a 
certain  Miss  E  *  *  *  *,  telling-  him  that  he  ouo^ht  to 
appear  as  a  l^arcissus  to  captivate  the  young  lady. 
Panizzi's  health,  however,  seemed  at  this  time  to  fail 
him,  and  this  he  attributed  to  the  severity  of  the 
winter  season,  w'hicli,  as  before  stated,  invariably 
affected  him  in  a  remarkable  deo-ree. 

Possibly  this  may  have  been  one  cause  of  his  indis- 
position. The  Count,  however,  with  some  acuteness 
in  deciding  on  symptoms,  remarks :  "  The  loss  of 
one's  country  is  a  tvound  ivhich  never  heals;  it  is 
one  of  those  ])ains  which  slowly  destroy  our  own 
existence  ivithoiit  our  ]perceimng  it" 

Sufficient  space  has,  however,  been  allotted  to 
Panizzi's  friends,  and  it  is  now  time  to  return  to 
Panizzi  himself.  His  celebrity  as  a  teacher  of  Italian 
and  lecturer  on  that  language  was  established  at  Liver- 
pool. Before  dilating  upon  his  peculiar  aj^titude  in 
this   direction  we  must  mention  one  feature  in   his 


'60  THE  LIFE    OP    SIR    ANTHONY  PANIZZI 

character  which  will  pre-eminently  raise  him  in  the 
estimation  of  all  discerning  readers.  Miss  Martin,  one 
of  his  former  pupils,  knew  him  as  a  political  exile  in  the 
time  of  his  penury;  nevertheless,  she  well  recollects  and 
bears  witness  to  his  most  high-spirited  disinterested- 
ness in  pecuniary  matters — in  fact,  his  singular  dis- 
regard of  money. 

The  lectures  on  the  Italian  language,  at  which 
this  lady  was  present,  were  delivered  by  him  in  the 
years  1824  and  1825  in  English ;  they  had  been  in- 
augurated by  Mr.  Roscoe,  and  were  given  at 
the  Royal  Institution,  Liverpool,  where,  strange  to 
say,  no  record  of  them  has  been  kept. 

The  following    anecdote   related    by   Miss  Martin 
may    serve   to    illustrate    the   earnestness    of  his  ad- 
dresses.    In  reciting  some  of  the  lines  of  the  "  Gerusa- 
lemme  Lihcrata"  where  the  anxious   Crusaders  first 
catch  sight  of  the  sacred  city  of  Jerusalem  : — 
"  Ecco  apparir  Gerusalem  si  vede, 
Ecco  additar  Gerusalem  si  scorge  : 
Ecco  da  mille  voci  unitamente 
Gerusalemme  salutar  si  sente. — " 
his    eager    eye    glanced    at    the    wall    at    the    side 
of  the  lecture-room   with   such    realistic    animation, 
and  with  such  power  over  his  hearers,  that  some  of 
the  audience  turned  to  gaze  on  the  vacant  space  as 
though  the  veritable  towers  and  walls  of  Jerusalem 
had  been  thereon  depicted. 

These  lectures  were  never  published.  The  folloAv- 
ing  extracts,  expressive  of  his  personal  feelings  to- 
wards his  auditors  may,  even  at  this  distance  of 
time,  be  not  altogether  devoid  of  interest. 


_.i 


LECTURES  61 

The  first  quotation  is  from  the  first  of  the  lectures, 
written  in  the  summer  of  1824,  and  the  second  is  from 
the  concluding  lecture  of  the  series,  delivered  three 

years  afterwards. 

I. 

If  I  dare  to  address  you  in  your  own  language,  it  is 
neither  because  I  have  a  vast  confidence  in  my  limited  know- 
ledge of  it,  nor  because  I  am  unaware  how  awkwardly  a 
foreigner  is  situated  on  such  an  occasion.  But  since  you  do 
not  honour  me  with  your  presence  to  ascertain  how  I  am  ac- 
quainted with  your  language,  but  to  hear  what  my  opinion 
is  with  respect  to  some  poems  written  in  my  own,  it  is  after 
all  of  very  Uttle  consequence  whether  my  diction  be  so  correct 
and  my  pronunciation  be  pure,  if  I  am  but  intelHgible. 
Having  to  speak  of  a  foreign  literature,  I  had  still  more 
reason  to  expect  that  the  audience  would  liberally  overlook  my 
blunders  ;  for  the  Italian  quotations  would  remind  those  whose 
keen  sense  of  the  beauties  of  their  own  tongue  might  per- 
chance dispose  to  pass  a  vigorous  sentence  on  my  English, 
how  difficult  it  is  to  speak  a  foreign  language  tolerably. 

These  reasons  alone  might  perhaps  have  induced  me  to 
trust  to  the  liberality  of  an  English  public  ;  but  even  v^^ithout 
them,  and  with  far  more  confidence  would  I  have  presented 
myself  before  you.  Your  kindness  to  me  on  former  occasions, 
to  which  I  shall  only  allude  as  no  language  at  any  length 
could  do  justice  to  it,  would  have  been  a  sufficient  encourage- 
ment to  me.  It  was  in  this  same  place  that  without  any  claim 
to  your  favour,  I  met  the  most  flattering  reception.  The 
repeated  proofs  of  benevolence  which  I  have  received  from 
you  warrant  me  in  expecting  that  you  would  continue  to  me 
the  same  support.  I  know  you  so  well  that  I  am  as  certain 
that  you  cannot  be  unkind,  as  I  am  conscious  that  I  cannot  be 
ungrateful. 

The  Lectures  which  I  purpose  delivering  will  form  an 
appendix  to  those  which  you  have  already  heard  on  Ariosto, 
on  whose  poem  I  shall  not  lecture  this  time.  I  am  sensible  of 
the  disadvanta2re  of  such  an  omission. 


62  THE    LIFE    OF   SIR  ANTHONY    PANIZZI 

II. 

I  feel  it  would  be  indiscretion  were  I  to  trespass  any- 
longer  upon  your  time,  as  I  was  inclined  so  to  do  on  this  last 
occasion.  I  shall  therefore  conclude,  offering  you  my  sin- 
cerest  thanks  for  the  kindness  with  which,  sometimes  even 
in  spite  of  the  enraged  elements,  you  have  honoured  this 
course  of  lectures.  I  know  full  well  that  the  subject  must 
have  been  so  agreeable  to  a  choice  audience  like  that  by 
which  I  have  been  favoured,  so  as  to  be  a  powerful  attraction 
for  them  to  attend.  But  I  cannot  and  will  not  think  that  I 
am  indebted  for  your  presence  to  the  merits  of  the  poems- 
I  lectured  upon  rather  than  to  your  benevolence  to  me.  I 
have  known  Liverpool  so  long  and  so  well,  and  have  had  so 
many  occasions  of  experiencing  the  hospitality  of  its  inhabi- 
tants, that  my  heart  cannot  allow  me  to  think  that  you 
came  to  hear  me  as  you  would  have  done  a  stranger.  I  am 
not  a  stranger  in  this  town  to  which  the  noblest  of  senti- 
ments— gratitude — ties  me.  I  beg  you  will  continue  ta 
entertain  for  me  the  kind  feelings  which  you  have  hitherto 
done,  being  certain  that  I  am  fully  sensible  of  their  value, 
and  proud  in  thinking  that  you  have  not  found — and  I  hope- 
you  never  will  find  me  either  unworthy  of  them,  or  not  ap- 
preciating them  as  fully  as  they  deserve. 

It  is  pleasing  to  trace  in  these  words  the  grateful 
heart  of  Panizzi,  reflecting  as  they  do  the  warmth  of 
his  feelings,  and  acknowledging  the  kindness  shown 
him  by  Liverpool  friends  at  a  time  -when  he  sadly 
needed  sympathy  and  support ;  we  now  leave  him,, 
through  such  aid,  in  better  worldly  circumstances, 
than  he  had  but  recently  encountered. 


.1 

I 


i 


CHAPTER  III 


Toscolo  ;  AtHolhham;  First  Article;  Departure  from  Liverpool; 
Brougham;  Miss  Turner;  London  University;  Botta;  Letity  Bncre ; 
'  Orlando  Innamorato' ;  W.  S.  lose;  Keightley ;  Moore's  Verses; 
Correspondence  tcitJi   Mr.    Grenville ;    First  Appointment. 

ANIZZI  being  established  in  Liverpool 
in  1820,  it  may  be  conclndecl  (and,  in- 
deed, in  a  letter  to  be  presently  qnoted 
he  admits  as  much)  that  he  was  now 
earning  sufficient  to  satisfy  his  imme- 
diate wants,  and  to  enable  him  to  enjoy  a  certain  degree 
of  luxury.  He  resided  at  9o  Mount  Pleasant,  an  em- 
inence overlooking  the  town,  and  celebrated  in  Eoscoe's 
poem  of  the  same  name.  From  the  invitations  he 
received,  constantly  dining  out,  it  may  be  inferred  he 
moved  in  the  best  society  and  was  leading  a  comfort- 
able life.  Far  otherwise  was  it  with  Ugo  Foscolo,  his 
fellow-exile.  For  Foscolo,  of  whose  celebrity  in 
England,  as  of  the  reverence  paid  to  his  name  by  the 
youth  of  his  native  Italy,  Giuseppe  Mazzini  writers  so 
warmly,  was  noAV  living  in  London  in  a  state  bordering 
on  destitution. 

"  Stern  and  somewhat  aggressive  in  temperament," 
says  Mazzini,  speaking  of  Foscolo,  "his  mind  nourislied 


64  THE    LIFE   OF   SIR  AXTIIOXY   PANIZZI 

and   fortified   by   severe   study,   little  calculated  for 

laying  new  founda- 
tions, but  endowed 
with  mighty  faculties 
for  destruction,  he  ef- 
fectually overthrew 
(except  for  those  who 
bow  down  kindly  be- 
fore precedents)  a 
whole  edifice  of  errors 
which  barred  the  way 
to  the  study  of  Dante. 
In  his  different  writ- 
ings, especially  in  his 
"  Discorso  sul  Testo,"' 
etc.,  etc.,  etc.,  he 
cleared  the  ground  for  a  better  understanding  of  the 
*  Commedia  '  and  the  poet." 

This  estimate  of  Foscolo's  character  was  founded 
entirely  on  reading  and  reports,  and  seeing  that  the 
two  famous  refugees  had  no  personal  knowledge  of 
each  other — indeed  had  never  met — must  be  taken  as 
an  eulogium  rather  of  the  genius  than  the  moral  worth 
of  the  great  writer. 

Though  doubtless  much  might  be  said  on  this  topic, 
our  space  and  the  purpose  of  this  memoir  forbid  our 
dwelling  at  any  length  on  the  subject.  For  Foscolo's 
genius  as  writer  and  poet,  Panizzi — as  who  would  not,, 
even  without  his  shrewd  discernment? — ever  enter- 
tained the  profoundest  respect ;  but  in  a  somewhat 
important  qualification,  strict  adherence  to  truth,  he 
detected    a    slight  deficiency.       However,    he  made 


ll 


FOSCOLO  65 

every  allowance  for  this  failing  in  a  man  of  superior 
endowments,  and  felt  the  deepest  sympathy  with  one 
of  so  great  attainments  reduced  to  such  ignoble  shifts. 
It  is  but  too  true  that  Foscolo  wrote  his  famous  book, 
'■^  Discorso  sul  Testo,  ete.,''  and  other  of  his  last  works 
under  the  pressure  of  extreme  poverty  and  in  continual 
dread  of  his  creditors,  which  rendered  his  bodily  suf- 
fermgs  the  more  intolerable,  and  caused  him  alarm 
lest  want  of  bread  should  put  a  stop  to  his  literary 
labours. 

It  is  unnecessary  to  give  further  details  of  Foscolo'3 
life.  They  were  better  known  to  Panizzi  than  to  any 
one  else,  and  he  alone  could  have  narrated  the  true 
story  of  the  experiences  of  his  illustrious  friend.  The 
biographers  of  the  former  have  unaccountably  and  un- 
pavdonably  neglected  to  take  due  cognizance  of  the 
intimacy  which  subsisted  between  the  two. 

The  first  letter,  written  by  Panizzi  to  Foscolo  from 
Liverpool,  and  dated  2'5th  February,  1S26,  is  long  and 
most  interesting.  Herein  he  recalls  to  his  friend's 
memory  that  it  was  just  thirty  months  since  he  laid 
the  foundation  of  all  that  the  writer  possessed,  and 
proceeds  in  the  following  grateful  strain  :  *'  Were  it 
possible  for  me  to  forget  my  owti  country,  I  could  not 
certainly  forget  Liverpool.  If  the  misery  of  selling 
articles  and  verbs  were  not  such  as  to  freeze  one's 
blood,  I  might  say  that  I  live,  yet  I  only  vegetate ; 
even  this  is  due  to  you." 

Of  Foscolo's  "  Liscorso  sul  Testo  "  of  Dante,  Panizzi 
always  expressed  the  highest  admiration."  It  would 
be  impossible,"  he  writes  of  his  friend's  magnum  ojJUSy 
"to  describe  how  much  superior  your  work  seems  to  me,. 


66  THE    LIFE    OP    SIR   ANTHONY    PANIZZI 

compared  with  those  hitherto  made  known,  not  only 
in  Italy,  but  by  any  critic  elsewhere.  Being  a  great 
admirer  of  Dante,  in  whom  I  find  the  greatest  com- 
fort of  my  exile,  I  paid  last  month  a  visit  to  the 
Bodleian,  where  I  saw  thirteen  manuscripts  of  the 
*  Divina  Commedia.'  I  have  ready  a  minute  descrip- 
tion of  each,  which  I  have  written  in  the  shape  of  a 
letter,  with  the  intention  of  sending  it  to  the  ^Anto- 
lof/ia,''  a  paper  more  Italian  in  feeling,  and  less 
slavish  than  the  others  ;  but  if  you  would  like  to  see 
it,  I  shall  most  willingly  send  it  to  you.  I  may  add 
that  not  far  from  here  there  is  another  manuscript  of 
Dante,  which,  according  to  Mr.  Roscoe,  is  well  worth 
consulting ;  I  propose  seeing  it  next  Easter.  Mr. 
Coke,  of  Ilolkham,  also  possesses  other  MSS.  and 
has  kindly  offered  to  send  them  to  my  house,  that  I 

may  have  an  opportunity  of  studying  them  at 
leisure." 

The  splendid  library  at  Ilolkham  had  been,  in  1812, 
carefully  examined  and  catalogued  by  Mr.  Roscoe, 
who  was  immensely  impressed  with  its  value  and  im- 
portance. 

"  Such  MSS.  of  Dante,"  he  writes  to  a  friend, 
"  drawings  of  the  old  masters,  treasures  of  European 
liistory — you  have  no  idea besides  beauti- 
fully illuminated  MSS.  on  vellum  of  many  of  the 
Latin  classics,  a  most  exquisite  Boccaccio,  a  very  fine 
old  Dante." 

In  the  catalogue  the  following  note  is  written  by 
Eoscoe  :  "  For  a  transcript  of  this  very  difficult  MS. 
of  Boccaccio,  by  Signer  Antonio  Panizzi,  see  the 
illustrations  in  Vol.  VIII.  of  this  catalogue." 


I 


FOSCOLO  G7 

Next,  if  not  equal  in  value  to  the  'Discorso  sul 
Testo,"  in  Panizzi's  estimation,  was  another  work  of 
Foscolo's.  This  was  "  La  Commedia  di  Dante 
Alighieri  illustrata  da  Ugo  Foscolo."  (London : 
8vo.,  1825).  It  may  be  mentioned  that  the  preface 
to  the  first  vol.  of  a  later  edition  (1842)  of  this  book^ 
signed  "  iin  Italicmo,''  was  written  by  Mazzini. 
Panizzi  revievved  "  La  Commedia  "  (it  was  his  first  at- 
tempt at  criticism  in  the  English  language)  in  the 
Westminster  Review  (vol.  7,  p.  153). 

This  will  amply  repay  perusal.  The  sincerity  of 
the  writer's  patriotism,  and  the  manner  in  which  it 
serves  to  enhance  his  interest  in  the  great  poet  of  his 
native  country,  will  probably  attract  the  reader's 
attention  at  the  outset.  The  philological  contest  in 
which  Dante  was  engaged — his  conclusions  (set  forth 
in  his  "  De  Vulgari  Elorjuio  "),  on  the  true  origin  of 
the  Italian  language,  by  which  he  so  much  disgusted 
his  Florentine  compatriots, — his  own  life  and  greater 
works, — the-relations  of  the  different  powers  by  whose 
influence  Italy  was  chiefly  affected, — the  spiritual  in 
jeopardy  of  its  existence  in  its  own  home,  and  ex- 
ternally the  temporal,  on  which  it  mainly  relied  foi 
support, — are  all  brought  under  notice,  and  skilfully 
treated. 

Reference  has  been  made  to  the  "  Westminster 
Review,"  and  as  that  periodical  is  easily  accessible  it 
is  unnecessary  to  destroy  the  reader's  interest  by 
extracting  from  the  article  in  question. 

Meanwhile   Foscolo  still  continued  his  correspon- 
dence with  Panizzi,  furnishing  him  with  details  of  his 
troubles.     Serious   differences    seem    to   have    aiisen 
F 


G8  TEE    LIFE    or    SIR   ANTHONY    PANIZZI 

between  him  and  Mr.  Pickering,  the  publisher  of  his 
projected  works,  whose  treatment  of  him  he  describes 
as  shameful.  Neither  is  Mr.  Brougham  spared ; 
Foscolo  had  employed  him  to  heal  the  breach  be- 
tween Mr.  Pickering  and  himself;  and  these  are  the 
terms  in  which  he  mentions  the  services  rendered : — 
*'  Brougham,  at  first,  offered  to  take  the  matter  to 
heart,  but  allowed  it  to  drop,  because  I  have  no 
money  to  carry  on  the  suit.  He  has  acted  as  a 
lawyer,  and  wisely  too ;  I  shall  also  act  wisely  by 
having  nothing  more  to  do  with  him." 

It  is  somewhat  difficult  to  discover  from  these  words 
the  exact  part  Brougham  took  in  the  matter.  To  sub- 
stantiate the  charges  brought  by  Foscolo  against  men 
of  acknowledged  worth  is  against  our  inclination,  nor 
have  we  the  opportunity  of  clearly  knowing  their 
nature.  In  writing  a  memoir  of  Panizzi  it  is  but  just 
to  remark  that,  so  far  as  the  worthy  publisher  is  con- 
cerned, he  entertained  the  highest  opinion  of  Picker- 
ing up  to  the  last,  as  a  man  of  taste,  of  great  know- 
ledge, and  of  indisputable  private  worth.  These 
accusations,  in  all  probability  without  foundation, 
possibly  created  in  their  recipient's  mind  his  before- 
mentioned  suspicion  Qf  his  friend's  entire  trustworthi- 
ness, a  suspicion  he  almost  publicly  divulged  in  1871, 
when  Foscolo's  remains  were  about  to  be  removed  from 
Chiswick  to  a  more  honourable  grave  in  Santa  Croce, 
Florence. 

In  the  summer  of  the  year  i82G,  Foscolo  reached 
the  lowest  depth  of  his  poverty.  Persecuted  on  all 
sides  by  his  creditors,  he  hid,  or  rather,  as  he  ^vrote, 
buried  himself  alive.     "  I  send  you  my  new  address, 


I 


FOSCOLO  G9 

you  are  the  only  person  who  will  be  acquainted  with 
it,  19,  Henrietta-street,  Brunswick-square,  let  nobody 
know  it,  now  or  ever,  and  if  in  town,  I  can  offer  you 
a  bed,  and  thus  prevent  your  portmanteau  from  being 
ransacked  by  some  London  hotel-keeper."  At  this 
period  (painful  to  relate),  he  evidently  meditated 
suicide.  "  The  virile  act  of  voluntary  death  becomes 
dreadful,  when  committed  through  poverty.  1  must, 
in  order  to  proceed  with  my  work,  take  care  of  my- 
self; and  have  imitated  you,  in  finding  a  few  humble 
families,  to  wdiom  I  give  lessons  at  three  shillings 
each."  Of  these  lessons  he  could  give  no  more  than 
six  a  week,  having  in  hand  another  important  work, 
also  on  Dante,  in  which  he  requested  the  assistance 
of  Panizzi  who  possessed  some  valuable  notes  on  the 
subject.  This  aid  was  readily  afforded.  Panizzi, 
hoAvever,  who  wished  to  serve  his  friend  to  the  utmost 
urged  Foscolo  to  visit  Liverpool ;  and,  as  a  compen- 
sation for  his  expenses,  proposed  that  he  should 
deliver  six  lectures  at  the  Royal  Institution,  on  Tasso 
and  Ariosto,  during  the  space  of  three  weeks,  and 
receive  for  this  £50.  In  the  letter  suggesting  this 
he  says : — "  I  do  not  care  for  these  lectures 
myself ;  haxing  so  many  friends  I  am  obliged  to  give 
away  tickets  to,  in  return  for  their  dinners  and  tea- 
parties.  Come,  and  write,  never  mind  the  postage, 
for  I  had  sooner  deprive  myself  of  a  good  dinner  than 
one  of  your  letters.     Moreover  I  am  not  in  want." 

As  to  the  subject  of  giving  lessons  the  writer 
remarked  :  "  How  much  better  it  is  to  sell  articles, 
nouns,  and  verhs  than  to  stretch  forth  your  hand  and 
ask   for    nssistance   from   those   generous,  miserahle, 


70  THE    LIFE    OF   SIK    ANTllOiNY    PAJS'lZZl 

proud  rich  people  whose  rude  manners  make  one  un- 
willingly ungrateful.  When  I  think  that  Macchia- 
velli  acted  the  pedagogo  to  live  I  may  well  be  proud 
of  my  present  position.  There  will  be  no  more  of 
this  soon.  Courage,  my  dear  friend,  the  storm  will 
clear  up  before  long,  and  the  serene  sky  will  also 
return  for  you." 

It  M'ould  appear  by  this  letter  that  the  political 
atmosphere  of  Liverpool  had  affected  Panizzi  in  a 
manner  that  may  seem  strange  to  some  of  our  readers. 
That  the  little  "  nuances "  of  character,  which  he 
notes  as  distinguishing  the  members  of  our  different 
political  parties,  may  be  discerned  by  a  keen  observer, 
and  the  causes  of  their  existence  perceived,  is  not  im- 
possible ;  they  seem  to  have  struck  him  very  forcibly, 
as  a  foreigner,  in  his  short  experience.  Of  the  three 
sections  as  they  existed  at  that  time  (it  would  be 
interesting  to  know  his  opinion  of  parties  more 
recently)  he  remarks  not  less  strongly  than  naively : 
"  D — n  the  English  Liberals  !  my  experience  (Roscoe 
and  Shepherd  excepted)  shows  me  that  the  Tories  are 
more  polite  than  the  Whigs,  and  much  more  so  than 
the  Radicals." 

Poor  Ugo  Foscolo,  who,  for  some  reason,  had  been 
unable  to  accept  the  invitation  to  Liverpool,  and 
whom  misfortune  seemed  to  have  marked  for  her  own, 
died  in  London  in  penury  on  the  10th  September, 
1827.  Llis  death  was  at  once  announced  to  Panizzi 
by  Giulio  Bossi.  The  few  books  he  left  behind  were 
purchased  by  some  of  his  remaining  friends  ;  Panizzi 
bought  as  many  as  his  means  allowed  him,  and  these 
he  distributed  among  the  most  distinguished  admirers 


FOSCOLO  71 

of  the  deceased,  one  of  whom  was  Mr.  Macaulay,  who 
acknowledged    the    presentation    in    the    following 

letter  : — 

October  4,  1827. 
Your  letter  was  acceptable  to  me  as  a  mark  of  kind  re- 
membrance, but  it  is  quite  unnecessary  as  an  apology.  I 
assure  you  that  I  considered  myself,  and  not  you,  as  the 
offending  person  on  the  occasion  to  which  you  refer.  I  liopc, 
however,  that  either  here  or  in  Liverpool  we  shall  hereafter 
enjoy  many  meetings  without  any  such  cross  accident. 

I  have  not  yet  found  time  to  read  your  kind  present,  poor 
Foscolo's  book.  I  hope  soon  to  be  able  to  study  it,  which  I 
shall  do  with  additional  interest  on  his  account  and  on  yours. 

Yours,  &c.,  &c., 

T.  B.  Macaulay. 

No  doubt  the  untimely  death  of  Foscolo  under  such 
lamentable  circumstances  grieved  his  friend  deeply  ; 
but  it  must  have  been  to  him  a  consolation  that  he 
had  endeavoured  to  assuage  the  exile's  sufferings, 
although,  as  has  been  stated,  the  generous  offer  was 
not  accepted.  It  is  such  sympathy  for  our  fellow-man 
which  stamjjs  the  character,  and  imparts  to  it  the  true 
ring  of  charity  and  worth. 

The  year  1828  may  be  said  to  have  been  the  turn- 
ing-point in  Panizzi's  career,  for  it  was  then  his  de- 
parture from  Liverpool  took  place.  In  that  popu- 
lous town,  by  his  own  personal  merits  and  ability, 
he  had  won  for  himself,  if  not  quite  the  traditional 
golden  opinions  of  all  sorts  of  men,  at  least  that  well- 
deserved  meed  of  praise  and  respect  to  which  all 
aspire.     To   this   a   contemporary  bears   witness  and 

writes  of  him,  "  that  he  never  abused  a  friend's  kind- 
ness, but  always  aA'ailed  himself  of  it  in  a  becoming 


72 


THE    LIFE   OF    SIR    ANTHONY    PANIZZI 


manner,  turning  it  to  good  account  for  himself,  and  at 
the  same  time  reflecting  honour  upon  him  who  be- 
stowed it." 

Conspicuous  amongst 
his  friends  was  'Mr. 
Brougham,  then  one  of  the 
most  active  members  of  the 
Council  for  the  new  Uni- 
versity of  London,  now 
known  as  University  Col- 
lege. At  this  college  Pa- 
nizzi  was  asked  to  occupy 
the  chair  of  Italian  Litera- 
ture, an  offer  made  to  him 
solely  through  the  influence  of  Brougham,  with  whom 
he  became  intimate  in  the  spring  of  1827,  when  they 
proceeded  in  company  to  Lancaster,  to  attend  the 
famous  trial  of  the  Wakefield  family,  for  conspiracy 
and  the  abduction  of  Miss  Ellen  Turner,  who  had  been 
a  pupil  of  Panizzi.  That,  among  all  the  vicissitudes 
of  his  life,  he  had  not  forgotten  his  former  cunning, 
appears  from  the  statement  that  he  rendered  import- 
ant assistance  in  this  case,  by  his  knoAvledge  of  law^  in 
general,  and  particularly,  as  might  be  supposed,  of 
lloman  law. 

After  serious  and  anxious  consideration  the  offer  of 
this  professorship  was  accepted,  mainly  at  the  instiga- 
tion of  his  learned  friend,  who  strongly  urged  it  upon 
him.  This  determination  was  not  arrived  at  without 
much  reluctance  and  regret ;  for,  indeed,  he  was  loth 
to  abandon  his  friends  at  Liverpool,  which  he  now  re- 
garded as  his  second  home.     His  appointment  bears 


ROGERS 


73 


date,  May,  1828,  but  it  was  not  till  the  1st  of  October 
following  that  the  college  was  formally  opened. 

Four  days  afterwards  Brougham  wrote  to  Lord 
Grey  "  that  the  delight  of  all  who  have  been  admitted 
to  the  university  was  perfect.  .  .  The  professors  and 
aU  concerned  are  therefore  in  the  highest  spirits." 

Amongst  those  who  felt  Panizzi's  departure  from 
Liverpool  most  keenly  was  Roscoe,  who,  now  in  his  sixty- 
fifth  year,  had  become  thoroughly  accustomed  to  his 
frequent  visits,  and  took  the  greatest  delight  in  his  con- 
versation. The  old  savant^  however,  spared  no  trouble 
in  giving  him  letters  of  introduction  to  friends^ 
amonost  them  one  to  Samuel  Ilo<T:ers. 

"  This  is  intended  to 
be  delivered  to  you  by 
my  highly-valued  friend. 
Signer  Antonio  Panizzi, 
professor  of  the  Italian 
language  in  the  London 
University,  who  lived  some 
years  in  Liverpool,  whence 
he  is  now  returning,  after 
visitins:  the  numerous 
friends  whom  he  has  made 
during  his  residence  here.  He  is  probably  already 
knoAvn  to  you  by  his  literary  works,  particularly  his 
cditionof  Bojardo  and  Ariosto,  now  publishing;  in  ad- 
dition to  which  I  beg  leave  to  add  my  testimony,  not 
only  to  his  abilities  as  an  elegant  scholar,  but  to  his  ex- 
perienced Avorth  as  a  sincere  friend,  and  to  his  char- 
acter as  a  man.  It  is,  therefore,  with  great  satisfac- 
tion, that  I  introduce  him  to  your  better  acquaintance. 


74  THE    LIFE    OF   SIR   ANTHONY    FANIZZI 

being  convinced  that  it  cannot  fail  of  being  productive 
of  pleasure  and  advantage  to  both." 

Panizzi,  on  his  appointment  as  Professor,  took  up 
his  abode  at  No.  2,  Gower  Street,  North,  close  to  the 
college,  and  delivered  his  first  lecture  in  November, 
1828.  As  was  the  case  with  his  Liverpool  lectures, 
so  with  these.  They  do  not  seem  to  have  been  re- 
ported, consequently  no  record  remains.  In  1837 
he  resigned  the  Professor's  chair. 

The  first  of  his  London  publications  ("  Extract  from 
Italian  Prose  Writers,  for  the  use  of  Students  in  the 
London  University  ")  appeared  in  1828,  and  was  fol- 
lowed, soon  afterwards,  by  "  An  Elementary  Italian 
Grammar."  In  addition  to  the  compilation  of  these 
works,  he  now  began  to  contribute  frequently  to  the 
Eeviews.  The  first  of  these  contributions  appeared  in 
the  Foreign  Beview  and  Continental  2IisceUanjj;  it  was 
a  criticism  of  a  work  entitled  "  I  Lombardi  alia  prima 
Crociata.  T.  Grassi.  Mil°.,  1826.  8vo."  This  was 
followed  by  another,  a  very  interesting  review 
of  the  "Storia  dTtalia  dal  1789  al  1814,  da  Carlo 
Botta.  8  vols.  1824.  12mo."  To  this  last  the 
critic  extends  at  least  as  much  justice  as  mercy,  and 
spares  no  pains  to  refute  (which  he  does  by  the 
clearest  evidence)  many  of  the  statements  put  forward 
in  the  M'ork  as  historical  facts.  Of  the  author  he 
gives  the  following  notice  : — 

"A  Piedmontese  physician,  who,  in  1794,  after 
two  years'  imprisonment  in  Piedmont,  for  his  warm 
support  of  the  principles  of  the  French  Revolution, 
made  his  escape  (Heaven  knows  how  !)  to  France,  and 
was    employed    in    his    professional    capacity  in    the 


BOTTA  75 

French  army.  When  this  army  entered  Piedmont, 
Botta  fought  with  it  against  the  King  and  his 
country.  He  went  to  Corfu  in  the  capacity  of  army 
physician.  The  King  of  Piedmont  having  been 
obliged  to  abdicate,  the  French  General,  Joubert,  ap- 
pointed  a  provisional  government,  which  the  historian, 
of  course,  mentions  with  high  eulogium,  inasmuch 
as  of  this  very  government  Signor  Botta  was  a  w^orthy 
member." 

As  to  his  diction,  the  reviewer  says  : — "  We  wish 
not  to  criticize  minutely  Signor  Botta's  style.  .  .  The 
Italian  edition,  however,  we  have  read,  and,  save  only 
school-boy  themes  and  college  exercises,  more  cold- 
ness, stiffness,  and  affectation  is  scarcely  to  bo 
found." 

Apart,  however,  from  the  historical  blunderis  ixud 
stvle  of  the  work,  another  cause  existed  to  call  forth 
the  hostile  criticism  of  Panizzi.  This  will  appear  from 
the  opening  passage  of  the  review,  which  runs  thus  : 
— "  The  name  of  Carlo  Botta  has  long  been  known  as 
that  of  an  historian.  While  vet  a  member  of  the 
legislative  body,  during  the  reign  of  Napoleon,  he 
published  at  Paris  a  '  History  of  American  Indepen 
dence.'  Whether  it  so  hajopened  that  his  notions  on 
liberty  have  been  since  wonderfully  revolutionized,  or 
his  bitter  vituperations  of  England  and  laudatory 
tropes  in  favour  of  America,  propitiated  the  then  ran- 
-corous  hatred  of  the  French  towards  this  nation  we 
know  not,  but  his  work  was  eminently  successful." 

Undoubtedly  it  was  Botta's  ill-feeling  towards 
England,  more  than  the  demerits  of  the  work  itself, 
which  called  for  such  severe  and  scathing  comments. 


7G  THE    LIFE   OP    SIR    ANTHO^'Y    TANIZZI 

The  review  was  translated  into  Italian,  and  circulated 
amongst  Botta's  compatriots. 

Other  articles  on  various  subjects  appeared  in  the 
same  journal  up  to  the  year  1830, 

The  new  college,  though  happily  inaugurated,  did 
not  attract  so  many  students  to  the  lessons  in  the 
Italian  language  and  literature  as  might  have  been 
anticipated,  and  the  expected  emoluments  of  the  Pro- 
fessor fell  proportionately  short ;  nevertheless  his 
reputation  as  a  sound  scholar  and  acute  critic  increased 
daily,  and  his  circle  of  friends  widely  extended.  Mr. 
Brougham,  Avho  assiduously  cultivated  his  society, 
lost  no  opportunity  of  introducing  him  to  the  leading- 
literary  personages  of  the  period,  and  to  the  most  pro- 
minent members  of  the  Liberal  party.  Among  the 
former  was  Lady  Dacre,  whose  translations  from 
Petrarch  were  highly  valued,  yet  not  beyond  their 
merit,  by  some  of  the  ablest  critics  of  the  time.  To 
her  Panizzi  was  introduced  in  the  following  note  from 
Brougham  : — 

'  March  3,  1829. 

"My  dear  Lady  Dacre, — This  will  be  presented  to  you  by 
Professor  Panizzi,  of  whom  my  brother  has  already  spoken  to 
you,  and  of  whom  it  is  quite  impossihlc  to  say  too  much, 
cither  as  regards  his  accomplishments  or  his  excellent  amiable 
qualities. 

Yours,  etc.,  etc.,  H.  Beougham." 

The  acquaintance  thus  formed  ripened  into  a  las'- 
mg  friendship.  Of  the  frequent  correspondence  which 
this  led  to  the  chief  and  most  interesting  examples 
are  the  views  exchanged  on  the  interpretation  of 
various  passages  from   Dante   and    Petrarch.      Lady 


LADY    DACKE  7T 

Dacre,  in  fact,  began  very  shortly  to  regard  Panizzi  as 
her  literary  adviser  ;  and  some  years  later,  on  the  pub- 
lication of  her  work,  "  Translations  from  the  Italian  " 
(1836),  makes  the  following  grateful  mention  of  him  : 
— "  I  have  of  late  years  been  so  fortunate  as  to  make 
the  acquaintance  of  Mr.  Panizzi,  of  the  British 
Museum,  and  to  obtain  also  his  approbation  of  these 
English  versions  of  his  great  national  poet.  It  is  by 
his  advice  and  that  of  other  high  authorities  that  I 
now  make  this  collection  of  my  attempts." 

Lady  Dacre's  letters  are  beyond  measure  charming. 
The  elegance  of  mind  and  purity  of  taste  pervading 
them,  with  the  rare  beauty  of  their  tone  and  style^ 
must  cause  any  one  who  may  happen  to  have  read 
them,  though  knowing  nothing  before,  nor  having 
even  heard  of  Lady  Dacre,  to  regret  that  the  amiable 
and  accomplished  translator  of  Petrarch  is  not  more 
extensively  appreciated. 

A  passage  from  one  of  her  earlier  letters  seems 
worth  extracting,  as  showing  her  estimate  of  the  best 
known  English  translator  of  Dante,  although  the 
comments  it  calls  for  may  lead  to  a  slight  digression 
from  the  line  of  the  narrative  : — "  As  to  Gary's  tran- 
slation of  '  La  Divina  Commedia,'  I  still  hold  translat- 
ing Dante  as  an  impossibility.  .  .  .  Cary  does  not 
satisfy  me,  for,  as  he  gave  himself  all  the  latitude  of 
blank  verse,  I  cannot  help  thinking  he  might  have 
done  more  justice  to  the  gems." 

With  the  ophiion  expressed  in  the  first  clause  of 
this  extract  few  will  disagree.  Lady  Dacre,  indeed, 
might  have  extended  her  sentence  to  other  poets  be- 
sides Dante,  and,  it  may  be  said,  to  poets  in  general 
of  any  marked  eminence. 


78  THE    LIFE    OF    SIR  ANTHONY   PANIZZI 

Of  these  poets,  or  of  any  save  those  of  the  second  or 
third  class,  to  which  may  be  added  certain  of  the 
satirical  and  didactic  category,  it  is  not  too  much  to 
assert  that  nothing  that  could  be  called  a  sufficient  trans- 
lation has  yet  been  accomplished.  By  translation  is  here 
meant  not  a  mere  rendering,  however  faithful  and  in- 
telligent, of  the  w^ords,  phrases,  and  plain  meaning, 
hut  a  transfusion,  by  the  translator's  own  genius,  of 
the  spirit  of  the  original  into  the  ordinary  diction, 
idioms  and  peculiarities  of  another  language.  Pope 
and  Dryden  have,  perhaps,  arrived  nearest  this 
result ;  but,  too  great  themselves,  they  have  so  im- 
bued their  greater  originals  with  their  own  spirit — a 
spirit  in  many  respects  differing  widely  from  the  clas- 
sical, that  their  versions  may  with  more  justice  be 
called  paraphrases  than  translations.  Still,  if  there 
are  degrees  of  impossibility,  Dante  is  fully  entitled  to 
a  place  in  the  first  class  of  such  impossibilities. 

To  Lady  Dacre's  assertion,  however,  of  the  facility 
which  Gary  ought  to  have  derived  from  his  use  of 
blank  verse,  exception  may  well  be  taken.  Although 
in  some  cases,  as  in  translating  Petrarch,  it  may  be 
difficult,  and  in  others,  as  in  rendering  certain  classic 
metres,  impossible,  to  reproduce  in  the  alien  language 
the  exact  form  of  verse  employed  in  the  original  (and 
with  the  form  of  his  verse,  it  must  be  observed,  the 
spirit  of  the  poet  is  always  indissolubly  connected), 
yet  it  is  necessary  to  a  good  and  true  translation  that 
this  course  should  be  adopted  wherever  practicable. 
Dante  is  a  rhymed  poet,  and  the  system  both  of  his 
rhymes  and  of  his  verse  is  by  no  means  uncommon  in 
English  poetry  ;   to  none,  it  might  be  supposed,  more 


AEIOSTO 


familiar  than  to  Lady  Dacre.  For  this  reason  alone 
it  would  appear  that  if  Dante,  of  all  poets,  is  to  be 
clothed  anew  in  English  garb,  the  most  fitting  attire 
for  him  would  not  be  blank  verse. 

These  remarks  are  merely  by  the  way,  our  work  is 
not  particularly  concerned  with  poetry,  but  with 
the  life  of  Panizzi,  who  was  then  (1829)  en- 
gaged  upon  his  "  Orlando  Tmiamorato  di  Bojardo : 

Orlando  Furioso  di  Ariosto: 
with  an  Essay  on  the  Roman- 
tic Narrative  Poetry  of  the 
Italians ;  Memoirs,  and  Notes 
hy  Antonio  Panizzi."  9  vols. 
Svo.     London,  1830-34. 

The  first  volume  of  this 
edition,  dedicated  to  his  bene- 
factor Roscoe,  contains  a  dis- 
sertation on  Italian  Romantic 
Poetry,  with  analyses  of  the  "  Teseide  "  of  Boccaccio, 
the  "  Morgante "  of  Luigi  Pulci,  and  the  "  Mam- 
hriano "  of  Francesco  Bello,  besides  other  Italian 
romantic  epics.  The  second  volume  is  prefaced  by  a 
memoir  of  Bojardo,  with  an  essay  making  him  full 
amends  for  the  long  usurpation  of  his  fame  by  his 
adaptor  Berni.     It  also  contains  a  life  of  Ariosto. 

The  corrupt  text  of  the  "  Orlando  Innamorato  "  is 
restored,  with  great  acumen  (from  a  collation  of  rare 
editions,  principally  contributed  by  the  Right  Hon. 
Thomas  Grenville  and  Earl  Spencer),  and,  as  well  as 
that  of  the  "  i^«r/050  "  (published  later  on,  1834),  is 
accompanied  by  long  and  learned  notes  in  English, 
"  from  an  idea  that  they  would  prove  more  accept- 


80  THE    LIFE    OP   SIR   ANTHONY    PANIZZI 

able  to  the  English  reader,  who  will  gladly  excuse 
any  errors,  Avhen  he  reflects  that,  had  I  not  preferred 
his  language,  he  would  not  have  enjoyed  the  beautiful 
translations  by  Lady  Dacre  ;  W.  S.  Rose,  Esq.,  and 
W.  Sotheby,  Esq.,  which  adorn  this  introductory 
€ssay." 

The  first  part  is  well  worthy  the  consideration  of 
such  as  are  curious  in  tracing  the  ^vmdings  of  the 
stream  of  civilization  from  its  fountain  head.  In  this, 
with  great  ingenuity,  the  author  describes  the  passions 
and  incidents  of  the  most  remarkable  period  in  the 
history  of  mediaeval  times — the  age  of  chivalry — which 
institution  he  attributes  to  Celtic  sources.  Chivalry 
raised  Europe  from  its  barbarous  condition.  Every 
institution,  mdeed,  is  of  lowly  origin.  Love,  naturally 
a  brutal  appetite,  only  becomes  refined  by  emulation 
among  men,  advancing  knowledge,  and  civilization. 
Panizzi  (p.  29)  tells  us  that  the  Italians  were  mdebted 
to  the  popular  songs  sung  in  the  north  for  their  long 
prose  romances,  giving,  as  an  example  of  the  most 
popular  and  inspiriting  of  these  songs,  the  Lays  of 
lloland  and  Charlemagne,  sung  by  Taillefer,  the  Nor- 
man standard-bearer  who  led  the  charge  at  the 
battle  of  Hastings.  "  If,"  Panizzi  continues,  at  p.  34, 
"  the  original  destination  of  poetry  were  in  every 
nation  of  the  world  to  celebrate  the  glorious  actions 
of  heroes,  one  of  the  provinces  of  England,  possessing 
one  of  the  most  ancient  languages  extant,  would  seem 
to  have  surpassed  all  other  countries  in  the  application 
of  the  art.  All  the  chivalrous  fictions,  since  spread 
throughout  Europe,  appear  to  have  had  their  birth  m 
Wales.    ...     So  famous  were  their  lays  in  France, 


ARIOSTO 


81 


that  the  French  trouveres  Avere  accustomed  to  cite  the 
British  oriirinals  as  vouchers  for  the  truth  of  their 
stories,  while  some  of  them  were  translated  by  Marie 
de  France.  A  glance  at  these  translations  Avill  show 
the  lays  to  be  of  British  origin." 

To  this  ingenious  theory  it  is  difficult,  without  con- 
siderable further  inquiry,  to  give  so  unqualified  an 
assent  as  the  Editor  of  Bojardo  aj^pears  to  have  done. 
The  subject,  however,  opens  up  a  field  of  discussion 
far  too  wide  to  be  entered  into  in  tliis  biography. 

Besides  Panizzi's  valuable  notes,  his  work  is  further 
embellished  wdth  a  selection  from  Lady  Dacre's  trans- 
lations from  Petrarch.  The  peculiar  skill  with  which 
this  most  elegant  authoress  could  transfer  to  her  own 
language  the  graces  of  her  Italian  original  will  be  best 
presented  to  the  reader  by  an  example  of  her  art : — 

Aud  ioiiseiie  »as  iji  Ler  heart  uwure, 
That  love  of  hei'  was  Oliver's  sole  care. 

And  because  Love  not  willingly  excuses 

One  who  is  loved,  and  loveth  not  again ; 
(For  tyrannous  were  decm'd  the  rule  he  uses, 

Siiould  they  who  sue  for  pity  sue  in  vain  ; 
What  gracious  lord  his  faithful  liege  refuses  ?) 

So  when  the  gentle  dame  perceived  the  pain, 
That  well-nigh  wrought  to  death  her  valiant  knight, 

Her  melting  heart  began  his  love  requite. 

And  from  her  eyes  soft  beamed  the  answering  ray, 
That  Oliver's  soul-thrilling  glance  returns  ; 

Love  in  these  gleamy  lightnings  loves  to  play, 
Till  but  one  flame  two  youthful  bosoms  burn?. 


dv  Forisena  intanto  come  astuta 
Deir  amor  d'  Ulivier  s'era  avvcduta. 


82  THE    LIFE    OF    SIR   ANTHONY   PANIZZI 

E  perche  amoi'  malvolentier  perdona 

Ch'  e'  non  sia  alfin  sempre  amato  cH  ama, 
E  non  saria  sua  legge  giusta  e  buona, 

Di  non  trovar  merze  chi  pur  la  chiama ; 
Ne  giusto  sire  il  suo  servo  abbaudona : 

Poi  che  s'accorse  questa  gentil  dama, 
Come  per  lei  si  moriva  il  Marchese, 

Subito  tutta  del  suo  amor  s'accese. 

E  comincio  con  gli  occhi  a  rimandaro 
Indietro  a  Ulivier  gli  ardenti  dardi 

Che  amor  sovente  gli  facea  gettare 
Accib  che  solo  un  foco  due  cor  ardi. 


When  the  work  was  published,  copies  were 
presented  by  the  author  to  his  most  intimate  friends, 
and  he  received,  amongst  others,  the  following  letters 
of  acknowledgment : — 

From  Mr.  W.  S.  Hose  *  (whose  ire  at  Pickering's 
device  is  not  altogether  unjustifiable)  : — 

"Brighton,  29  April  1830. 

*'  Dear  Panizzi, 

I  have  seen  nothing  to  quarrel  with  in  your  book, 
but  will  read  it  again,  and  with  a  more  exceptions  dis- 
position. 

If  Pickering  be  not  squeezed  to  death  in  his  own  press, 
his  nose  at  least  ought  to  be  rubbed  in  his  own  frontispieces 
(I  mean  title-pages)  while  the  ink  is  still  wet,  .... 
.  .  .  .  as  an  appropriate  punishment.  I  do  not  blame 
him  for  his  imitation,  but  for  his  bad  imitation,  of  Aldus.  His 
symbol  and  dlsposiium  of  ionrds  are  not  oflensive. 


*  Wm.  Ktewarfc  Rose  was  liorn  in  1?7.">.  He  resided  in  Italy  for  two  years, 
during  which  time  be  acquired  the  most  accurate  knowledge  of  toe  languflgo 
and  literature  of  the  country.  In  1853  he  bejian  a  condensed  vranelaiion  in 
prose  and  verse  of  I3ojardo"s  Orlando  Inuamorato  and  Ariosio's  Orlando 
Furioso.    He  ilied  in  1813. 


i 


W.    p.    EOSE 


«?, 


D  y  s 


•Compare  this  witli   INIr.  Plekciing's. 


iJLDZ 


Ati_2;1us  is  not  an  a(|ji\Mivo. 

AViiy  have  we  Arabic  iistoa*!  of  Roman   mnnorals  ?  wlilclv 
would  have  harmouizcd  with  the  rest  of  the  letierpiess. 

Ever  yours, 


W.  S.   KosK," 


G 


84  THE    LIFE    OF   SIR    ANTHONY    PANIZZI 

From  Eoscoe  : — ■ 

«  Lodge  Lane,  :May  1st,  1830. 
"  My  dear  Friend, 

I  have  just  received  a  copy  of  the  first  volume  of 
your  edition  ofthe  great  works  of  Bojardo  and  of  Ariosto,  and 
feel  myself  greatly  obliged  by  the  honour  you  have  done  me  by 
dedicating  them  to  me  ;  an  honour  to  which  1  have  no  pre- 
tensions but  iu  the  partiality  of  your  friendship,  which  renders- 
such  a  memorial  of  it  truly  valuable. 

I  flatter  myself  that  through  the  blessing  of  Providence  I 
may  yet  be  favoured  with  such  a  state  of  health  as  may  enable 
mc  to  enjoy  the  perusal  of  this  introductory  volume,  front 
■which  I  anticipate  great  pleasure. 

I  am,  with  the  sincerest  esteem  and  attacliment, 
Ever  faithfully  yours, 

\V.  Eoscoe." 

And  from  Macaulay,  dated  "  Calcutta,  1st  January, 
1835."  (This  letter  has  reference  not  only  to  Panizzi's 
"  Orlando  Imiamorato^'  but  to  another  work  of  his, 
shortly  to  be  mentioned,  that  is,  the  edition  of 
Bojardo.) 

"Dear  Panizzt, 

Many  thanks  for  your  kind  and  welcome  present.  It 
was  acceptable  to  me  on  account  of  its  Intrinsic  interest,  and 
still  more  acceptable  as  a  proof  that  1  am  kindly  remembered 
by  one  by  whom  I  should  be  sorry  to  be  forgotten. 

In  two  years  or  little  mote  I  shall  be  on  my  return  to 
England.  There,  or,  as  I  would  rather  hope,  In  your  own 
beautilul  country,  we  shall  meet,  and  talk  over  that  fine 
literature  which  you  have  done  so  much  to  illustrate.  I  have 
never  given  up  my  Intention  of  writing  a  review  of  your 
edition  of  Bojardo.  I  never  found  time  to  read  the  poem 
through  In  England.  But  here  I  have  had  that  pleasure,  and 
have    been    exceedingly   graiKied  both  by  the  text  and  the 


I 


MACAULAY  85 

notes.      I  read  Berni's    Eifacimento    long  ago.       But  I  like 
Bojardo  better. 

At  present  my  ofEcial  duties  take  up  a  great  and  increas- 
ing portion  of  my  time. 

The  hours  before  breakfast  are   slill  my  own.     But  I  give 
them  to  ancient  literature. 

It  is  but    little  tliat  1  have  lately  been    able  to  spare  to- 
Italian,  yet  I  feel  all  tliat  Milton  lias  so   beautifully  expressed, 
Quainquam  etiam  vestri  nunquam  lucminisse  pigublt, 
Pa.stores  Tusci,  Musis  operata  juveutus  ; 
llic  Cliaris,  atque  Lepos  ;  et  Tusciis,  tu  quoque,  Damon, 
Aiitiqua  genus  luide  petis  Lu(.-umonis  ab  urbe. 
0,  ego  quuntus  eram,  geliui  cuiu   stratus  ad  Arni 
]\Iuriiuna,  populeiimque  nenuis,  qua  moUior  heiba, 
Carpcre  nunc    violas,  nunc  sumuias  carpere  mvrtos, 
Et  potui  I^ycid;i3  certautem  au  lire  Menalcam  !  * 
But  of  ihese  things  we  shall  have  opportunities  of  talkin"' 
hereafter. 

Believe  me  ever,  yours,  &c.,  &c., 

T.  B.  Macaulay." 

,  Macaulay,  no  doubt,  intended  to  bestow  on 
Panizzi's  book  sometliini;-  more  than  a  mere  acknow- 
lodgment  of  its  presentation.  In  a  letter  addressed 
to  Macvey  Napier,  dated  29  April,  1830,  he  says  : — 
"  There  are  two  subjects  on  which  I  think  of  writing 
for  the  next  number  (of  the  'Edinburgh  Review'). 
*  The  Romantic  Poetry  of  the  Italians  '  is  one  of  them. 
A  book  on  the  subject  has  just  been  published  by  my 
friend  Panizzi,  Professor  in  tlu^  London  University, 
which  v,'ill  afford  a  good  opportunity.  I  have  long 
had  this  project  in  my  head." 


*  Epita^ihium  Dainonis,  line  125,  sqq. 


g2 


<5b  Tiii.    LIFK    01*^   SIR  ANTHONY    PANIZZI 

On  the  16th  October,  1830,  he,  however,  writes 
again,  saying,  "  My  article  on  the  Italian  Poets  mnst 
be  postponed  till  the  spring."  And  again  on  the  8th 
October,  ISoS,  writing  from  London,  to  Napier,  ''I 
think  of  writing  an  article  on  Panizzi's  edition  of 
Bojardo,  with  some  remarks  on  the  romantic  poetry 
of  the  Italians  generally.  This  I  can  do  as  well, 
indeed  better,  on  my  journey  than  in  London.  I  will 
try  to  send  it  off  bv  the  middle  of  December,  or 
earlier." 

Tiie  nitention,  however,  thus  twice,  at  all  events,  ex- 
pressed, was  never  carried  into  effect,  and  an  essax 
which  would  probably  have  taken  its  place  with  the 
best  of  Macaulay's  has  been  lost  to  the  xvorld. 

Fi-om  wliat  has  been  said  it  will  seem  that  the  book 
received  due  appreciation  from  some,  at  least,  of  those 
well  capable  of  judging  of  its  value. 

This  short  notice  of  its  reception  w^ould  be  incom- 
plete were  all  account  omitted  of  a  curious  but  somewhat 
unpleasant  episode  in  the  history  of  the  work  in  ques- 
tion, to  touch  upon  which  it  is  necessary  to  anticijiatr 
a  little  the  course  of  events.  The  fans  et  origo  inaJl  is 
best  told  in  Panizzi's  own  words,  which  are  taken  from 
a  letter  dated  27th  March,  1835,  and  addressed  to  the 
proprietors  of  TJie  Foreifjn  QuaHerly  Beview  :— 

"  In  the  last  number  of  The  Foreign  Quarterly 
Beview  (called  XXIX.,  but  in  fact  No.  1  by  your 
editor)  (Vol.  XV.,  p.  48),  there  is  a  lucubration  on 
Italian  Bomanfic  Poetry^  in  the  shape  of  an  article 
on  the  Orlando  Tmiamorato  and  Fnrioso,  edited  by 
me,  in  which  occurs  the  following  passage,  intended, 
I  suppose,  as  a  sample  of  the   courteous  and  gentle- 


ITALIAN    KOMANTIG    POETEY  87 

manly  style  of  literary  criticism  ^yllich  is  to  grace  this 
journal  under  the  new  regime: — 

"  Tlic  present  beautiful  edition  of  these  poems  has  been  pre- 
pared by  a  gentleman  named  Panizzl,  one  of  those  Italians  who 
have  been  obliged  to  Ily  their  country  for  their  political 
opinions — a  circumstance,  by  the  way,  as  our  readers  must  be 
aware,  no  ways  conclusive  in  proof  of  the  mor-.d  diiinlty  of  the 
exiled  patriots'  souls.  Anytus,  we  know,  was  one  ofihc  men 
ofthePiroeus  wdio  delivered  Athens  from  lier  Tiiirty  Tyrants, 
and  vet  Aiivtus  wm<  afterwards  one  of  the  accu.-crs  of  Socrates! 
To  this  a  casesomcwh.-it  parallel  will  presently  appear.  In  his 
own  country  Mr.  Panizzl  was,  as  we  are  assured,  utterly  un- 
known as  a  man  of  letters  ;  here,  througli  the  pntrunage  of 
the  ex-Chancellor  cliiefly,  he  enjoys  the  barren  lionuur  of  being 
professor  of  Italian  In  the  University  of  London,  and  the  sub- 
stantial situation  of  one  of  the  Under-Llbrarians  of  the  Eiilish 
Museum.  He  is  also,  we  understand,  engaged  for  a  handsome 
remuneration  to  catalogue  the  library  of  the  Pox  al  Society, — 
two  appointments  wdiich  gave  great  offince  to  tliose  narrow- 
minded  persons  who  think  that  charity  should  begin  at  home, 
and  that  deserving  Englishmen  of  letters,  who  have  families  to 
support,  and  are  able  to  write  out  the  titles  of  books  as  well  as 
a  foreigner,  might  have  been  found  without  any  very  anxious 
search.  Be  this  as  It  may,  Mr.  Panizzl,  we  believe,  pci forms 
the  duties  of  his  office  In  a  most  ellicicnt  manner,  and  he  is  not 
ungrateful,  but  seems  perfectly  content  with  liis  lot,  lor  while 
his  "co-mates  and  brothers  in  exile"  arc  siLfhins/  after  the 
beautiful  country  they  have  lost,  not  a  murmur  or  a  sigh  ever 
escapes  lain.  Mr.  Panizzl  writes  and  speaks  English  with 
facility,  as  is  proved  by  the  present  work,  though  what  motive 
but  vanity  could  have  Induced  him  to  employ  it  In  preference 
to  his  beautiful  mother-language,  we  are  unable  t<>  conceive  ; 
for,  surely,  any  one  who  is  curious  about  the  oiiginal  text  of  the 
Orlando  Iiniainoratu,  must  feel  rather  oilcndc<l  than  otherwise 
at  being   pvesenled  with   English  notes.      Tins   Gcxicrity  In 


88  THE    LIFE    OF    SIR   ANTHONY    PANIZZI 

writinprour  binfjiiage  lias  also  tempted  Mr.  Panizzi  to  become  a 
reviewer  :  ami  here  it  is  that  his  character  appears  in  a  most 
unpleastint  light,  ami  he  becomes,  as  we  have  just  liinted,  a 
kind  of  litorury  Anytus.  In  conversation  and  in  writing  he  is 
the  inccpsant,  and  we  may  add  virulent,  assailant  ol"  tlie  literary 
reputation  of  his  illustrious  compatriot,  Eossetti,  whose  Com- 
ment on  Dante,  that  extraordinary  monument  of  erudition 
and  sagacity,  he  would  fain  make  the  world  believe  to  be  a 
tissue  of  ignorance  and  absurdity.  Nay,  should  any  friend  of 
Mr.  Panizzi's  even  hint  tluit  he  is  disposed  to  regard  Rossetti's 
system  as  well  founded,  his  own  works,  if  he  has  published 
any,  will  be  made  to  feel  the  wrath  of  the  learned  librarian. 
But  we  leave  the  critic,  and  turn  to  the  essayist  and  an- 
notator.' " 

On  these  strictures,  just  as  fair  as  they  are  to  the 
point,  Avith  reference  to  his  character  as  an  author, 
Panizzi  pertinently  remarks  :— 

"Did  you  choose  an  editor  to  start  a  mngazine  of  calumnies, 
or  to  continue  a  review  of  ivorks  ?  If  the  latter  was  your 
object,  can  you  say  what  tlie  above  slang  has  to  do  with  the 
Italian  Romantic  Poetry,  and  my  edition  of  Bojardo  and 
Ariosto  ?  .  ,  .  That  I  was  utterly  unknown  in  Italy  as  a  man 
of  letters,  when,  scarcely  twenty-live  years  of  age,  I  fled  the 
country,  is  perfectly  true  ;  and,  had  I  continued  there,  I  doubt 
not  that  1  should  have  died  without  ever  being  known  as  such  ; 
but  the  question  propounded  is,  whether  my  edition  of  Bojardo 
and  Aiio>to  is  good  or  bad  ?  As  the  Reviewer  says  that '  it  has 
everything  to  recommend  it,'  is  it  discreditable  to  me  that  I 
should  have  turned  a  man  of  letters,  when  driven  into  exile 
Avith  nothing  in  the  world  but  my  head,  which  I  had  the  wit 
to  keep  on  my  shoulders,  although  not  without  trouble  ? 

*  Inflip;nata  mails  mens  est  succumberc  :  scq[ue 
Prsestitit  iuvictaui  viribus  usa  suis. 
«f  «  «  «  •  « 


EOSSETTI  89 

En  pgo  cum  patria  cnroam  gnzUqne  domoqno, 
R  iptaque  sint,  adimi  quae  potuore  mihi ; 

In'};  nio  tamen  ipse  raeo  comitorque  fruonpie . 
liodis  in  hoc  potuit  juris  habere  uilill.'  "   •' 

What  !?eems  especially  to  have  aroused  Paiiizzi's  anger 
(and  herein  may  be  remarked  his  sincere  affection  for 
the  land  of  his  refuge  and  rest),  was  that  he  should  be 
■called  a  '■'■  forelfjnerr  If  to  be  domiciled  in  England 
iind  naturalized  by  an  act  of  her  legislature  makes  a 
man  an  Englishman,  then  was  he  an  Englishman  to 
all  the  then  necessary  intents  and  purposes.  "  It  is 
true,"  says  he,  "  that  I  am  not  ungrateful ;  I  love 
my  adoptive  country  as  much  as  the  one  wherein 
I  was  born,  and  being  able  to  gain  a  very  hon- 
ourable and  independent  subsistence,  by  making- 
use  of  those  talents  which  Providence  has  been 
pleased  to  bestow  on  me,  no  wonder  that  I  do 
not  allow  murmurs  and  sighs  to  es'^ape  me."  His 
alleged  disposition  towards  liossetti,  the  foundation  for 
wdiich  he  declares  to  have  been  deri^'ed  from  advantage 
taken  of  certain  private  conversation,  grossly  misre- 
presented by  his  reviewer,  he  thus  vindicates  from 
■a  charge  which  he  declares  to  be  "  utterly  false .'' 

"  I  dissent  from  Mr.  Hossetti's  views  concerning: 
Dante  ;  but  I  have  a  high  opinion  of  his  talents  and 
■acquirements  ;  I  respect  them  too  much  to  be  virulent 

*  rARAI'mUSKI'  : — 

Uprising  in  unconqnerd  strength,  the  sovil 

Scornfully  braves  the  storms  of  fate. 

***** 

So  I,  bereft  of  fortune,  house,  r.nd  home  — 

or  all  that  could  be  torn  away, 
My  talents  still  retain  and  can  employ: 

O'er  these  no  foe  lias  aught  of  power. 


90  THE    LIFE   OF   SIR    ANTHONY    PANIZZI 

when  speaking  of  his  works,  which  I  do  not  in- 
cessantly attack.  The  contrary  assertion  made  by  the 
reviewer  is  a  wilful  and  deliberate  falsehood,  charit- 
ably invented  and  pro[)agated  to  cause  mischief  and 
strife  between  Mr.  Kossetti  and  myself.  I  07ice  stated 
freely  my  reasons  for  differing  from  Mr.  Eossetti'sv 
system  concerning  Dante  ;  but  1  then  said,  that  I  knew 
him  to  be  a  verf/  clever  man,  and  I  added  that  his 
writings  on  the  subject  do  much  honour  to  his  mgcnuitijy. 
and  his  very  mistakes  indicate  a  lively  imagination.'^ 
Is  this  the  language  of  '  a  virulent  assailant '  ?  " 

In  treating  another  passage  in  the  article  our 
author  displays,  as  well  he  may,  more  of  contempt 
than  anger.  His  reviewer,  one  Mr.  Keightley, 
drew  a  comparison  between  Panizzi's  literary  merits 
and  his  o^vn— by  no  means  in  favour  of  the  former,  a 
practice,  though  decidedly  blameable,  not  so  rare  as 
to  call  for  lengthy  notice  here.  A  couple  of  sonnets 
translated  from  Bojardo  by  this  same  Mr.  Keightley 
are  actually  inserted  in  the  review.  Examples  are  to 
be  found,  both  in  early  and  late  history,  of  an  author 
praising  his  own  works  anonymously,  and  if  by  means 
of  self-laudation  he  can  smite  his  enemies  secretly  his 
acuteness  has  been  thought  all  the  more  deserving  of 
admiration. 

To  what  motive  can  the  savage  tone  and  evident 
personal  rancour  of  this  article  be  imputed?  The 
office  of  the  critic  has  for  a  long  time  past  been  di?« 
charged  fairly  enough ;  if  not  with  an  undue  excess 
of  leniency  and  generosity,  at  least  (from  the  critic's 
own  point  of  view)  with  justice  and  honour.  Politics, 
and  such  other  matters  as  may  be  taken  to  be  the 


KEIGHTLEY  91 

common  property  of  the  public,  have,  it  is  true,  been 
known  to  hifuse  something  of  what  might  at  first  sight 
be  called  acerbity  into  his  style  ;  but  as  ho  who  in 
fair  and  open  fight,  complaining  of  blows,  would  meet 
with  scant  pity,  so  the  "  benighted  Tory "  or  the 
"  reckless  and  destructive  Hadical,"  or  possibly  the 
propounder  of  some  latest  theory  in  literature,  science, 
or  art,  must  put  up  smilingly  with  the  rubs  which  it 
may  please  his  adverse  judge  to  give  him,  remem- 
bering always  that  the  office  of  that  judge  is  to  sup- 
press the  ignorant,  to  repress  the  arrogant,  and 
occasionally,  though  of  course  but  very  rarely,  ta 
oppress  those  who  are  neither  the  one  nor  the  other. 
Still,  that  the  gall  of  personal  animosity  should  mix 
itself  with  the  ink  and  infect  the  pen  of  the  re- 
viewer is  plainly  a  thing  so  utterly  monstrous  as  to 
astonish  us  on  hearing  of  its  occurrence  more  than 
once  in  an  ordinary  lifetime.  There  is,  unfortunately, 
too  clear  evidence  that,  not  uninfluenced  by  some  such 
dark  motive,  the  critic  now  under  notice  perpetrated 
the  article  in  question. 

It  seems  that  about  two  years  before  the  review 
appeared  cither  Panizzi  made  Mr.  KcigLtley's  acquain- 
tance or  Mr.  Kcightley  Panizzi's. 

The  relations  between  the  two — so  long  as  they 
lasted — seem  to  have  been  of  an  amicable  kind. 
Panizzi  assisted  his  new  acquaintance  in  the  Italian 
works  on  which  he  was  engaged,  and,  although  he 
never  appears  to  have  been  inclined  to  admit  him  to 
any  very  intimate  friendship,  yet  a  good  deal  of  inter- 
course seems  to  have  taken  place  between  them^ 
especially  in  matters  relating  to  the  peculiar  study 


92  THE   LIFE    OF    SIR    ANTHONY   FANIZZl 

with  which  each  was  occupied.  Panizzi,  indeed, 
acknowledges  that  the  last  time  he  met  Mr.  Keightley 
the  latter  insisted  upon  his  accepting  a  copy  of  his 
works,  and  that  he  (Panizzi)  "  peremptorily  objected" 
to  doing  so.  It  maybe  admitted  that  this  was  somewhat 
discourteous,  and  perhaps  hinc  illce  lachrymce.  Be 
•that  as  it  may,  what  must  have  been  his  astonishment 
to  receive,  three  months  afterwards,  the  following 
letter  from  his  quondam  friend,  of  whom  during-  that 
period  he  had  quite  lost  sight : — 

"  Sir, 

When  next  you  stab  a  fricncl  in  the  dark,  if  you  wish 
to  be  unknown,  hide  your  hand  a  little  better  tluin  you  have 
done  in  my  case.  But  I  have  reason  to  suppose  that  yow.  did 
not  desire  concealment,  as  I  find  it  was  com ;n only  known 
that  you  were  the  author  of  the  article  in  question.  Indeed 
no  one  who  knew  your  style,  &c.,  could  doubt  for  a  moment. 
I  never  saw  that  article  till  last  Saturday,  and  In-fore  I  liad 
read  the  liijt  column  1  named  the  writer  of  it.  It  is  not  safe 
to  attack  one  v.dth  whom  you  have  been  in  the  habit  of  con- 
versing,     lie  has  too  many  keys. 

When  I  recollect  that  it  was  written  at  the  very  time  I  was 
endeavouring  to  serve  yoti,  I  must  regard  the  action  as  a  piece 
of  the  basest  treaclicry  and  darkest  malignity  that  can  be  con- 
ceived. 1  should  not  condescend  to  notice  it,  but  that  I 
required  to  inform  you  that  I  know  you,  and  that  our 
acquaintance  is  at  an  end.  '  I  bide  my  time,'  and  may  yet 
I'epay  you,  but  not  by  a  stab  in  tlie  dark. 

I  am,  yours,  &c.,  &c., 

Thomas  KEiGUTLEy." 

Following  closely  upon  this  letter  came  Mr. 
Keightley's  article  in  the  Foreign  Quarterly.  It  may 
he  safe  to  conclude  here — hoc  ergo  ]post  ]jro})ter  hoc. 


W.   S.   ROSE  93 

Panizzi,  his  temper  already  not  unreasonably 
ruffled  by  the  letter,  appears  to  have  been  terribly  put 
out  by  the  Review,  lie  winds  up  his  own  appeal  to 
the  proprietors  of  the  "  Foreign  Quarterly "  with  a 
burst  of  indignation  and  menace,  which,  had  it  been 
carried  into  execution  might  have  brought  him  into 
collision  with  the  laws  of  his  "  adoptive  country." 

Dreading  and  deprecatmg  any  such  forcible  ex- 
pression of  his  ire  by  the  outraged  author,  Mr.  W.  S. 
Eose  sent  him  the  poetical  epistle  which  we  subjoin, 

"  Brighton,  April  15,  1835. 
"  ^Ty  Wife  and  I  arc  certain  you  are  better 
Than  you're  reporteil,  reasoning  from  your  letter  ; 
In  wliich  you've  blown  your  enemy  to  bits  (I 
Think)  and  deservedly,  my  dear  Panizzi  : 
But  do  not  in  your  honest  rnge  outrun 
The  rule  the  ghostly  king  enjoined  his  son  ; 
The'  you  "  speak  (higgers — use  none  " — this  I  know 
You'd  scarcely  do — 1  mean  don't  use  your  toe, 
Or  break  liis  head,  or  pull  him  by  the  nose. 
Always  yours  truly, 

W.  S.  KosE." 

Panizzi  himself  seems  to  have  possessed  somewhat 
of  a  poetic  faculty,  if  we  may  judge  by  the  sole  speci- 
men extant  of  his  skill  in  the  art— a  translation  of 
one  of  Moore's  sougs,  "  Her  last  words  at  parting." 
In  confirmation  of  this,  it  may  be  observed  that  the 
canon  before  assumed  in  speaking  of  Lady  Dacre  on 
Gary,  namely,  that  the  translator  should  conform  to 
the  style  of  the  verse  in  the  original,  has  here  been 
overlooked.  For  this  neglect  there  may  be  cogent 
reasons.       It   would   be   difficult    to    adapt    Moore's 


.'94  THE    LIFE    OF    Sill  ANTIIOJS'Y    PANIZZI 

anapaestic  lines  to  Italian  verse  in  the  same  measure, 
and,  when  adapted  they  would  in  all  jirobahility, 
prove  inelegant,  and  perhaps  unnatural ;  even  were 
this  not  the  case,  liberties  which  would  not  be  admis- 
sible with  an  important  poem,  might  very  pardonably 
be  taken  with  the  trifling  composition  of  Moore. 

The  stanzas  set  out  below  are  neatly  turned,  and 
and  convey  the  idea  of  the  original  in  elegant  and 
musical  versification : — 

L'uhiinc  sue  pnrolc 

QiiaiuJo  mi  disse  a'ldio 
Sconlur  giammai  j)Oss  'io  ? 

Meco  saranno  ognor  ; 

Qual  tnelodioso  accento 

Clie  r  alma  ne  consola 
Boiclie  quel  ssuon  s'lnvola 

Ke  |)iu  risuoni  allur. 

Vcnga  Tavversa  soite, 

M'  oltraixiiiera,  ma  invano; 
Sempre  il  mio  tal'ij^mano 

Sara  quel  suoti  d'amor. 

"  Rammciita  nell'  asscnza, 

Fra  le  ritoite  c  pene, 
Un  cor  chc  ti  vuol  bene 

Sol  per  te  batte  ancor." 

Da  dolcc  fonte  in  oltra 

II  pellegHno  enante, 
Per  un  sol  breve  istante 

Grusta  del  suo  sapor. 

Ma  si  provcde  intanto 

Deir  acque  rieclie  e  care 
Di  quelle  goccie  rare 

Che  dauno  a  lui  valor. 


GRENVILLE  95 

Co?i  al  rigor  del  futo 

Nt'ir  cMvmo  (id la  vita, 
La  fonte  min  ffra'lita 

Sara  quel  suon  d'  amor. 

*'  KHmnu.Mita  neli'  asseiiza, 

Fru  le  ritorto  o  pene, 
Un  cor  clie  ti  vuol  bene 

Per  to  sol   batlc  ancor." 

This,  however,  is  merely  given  as  an  instance  of 
versatility  in  a  genius  that  was  more  fully  developed 
and  more  usefully  employed,  in  illustrating  and  setting 
forth,  so  far  as  such  worlc  is  concerned,  to  the  world 
the  poetry  of  others.  The  "  Orlando  Innamorato,'' 
&c.,  &c.,  was  soon  followed  hy  the  '^  SoneUie  Canzone 
del  Poefa  Clarissimo,  Matfeo  Maria  Bojardo,  Conie 
di  Scandiano.  4.%  Mil((no,  1835."  This  remarkably 
handsome  volume,  in  beautiful  type,  and  extremely 
scarce.,  only  50  copies  of  it  having  been  printed,  is 
inscribed  ''  All  onorevtjlis.simo  Signer  Tomraaso  Gren- 
ville.  Sec.  S:c." 

As  in  tiic  eaae  of  the  former  work  so  in  the  execu- 
tion of  this  one.  Mi-,  (xrenville  had  kindly  given  his 
aid  by  the  loan  oi'  his  Iavo  editions  of  Eojardo's  Son- 
nets to  the  editor.  Ti  e  correspondence  between  the 
two  gives  ample  proof  of  the  genuine  love  of  his  sub- 
ject for  its  own  sake  felt  by  Panizzi,  and  affords  satis- 
factory corroboration  of  the  disinterestedness  in  money 
matters,  to  which  his  old  pupil,  Miss  Martin,  of  Liver- 
pool, has  borne  witness.  Mr.  Grenville  was  desirous  that 
the  editor  should  receive  some  remuneration  for  his 
labours.  The  manner  in  whicli  this  desire  is  de- 
<dared,  and  the  offering  with  which  the  writer  supjiorts 


96  THE    LIFE    OF   SIR    ANTHONY    PANIZZI 

it,  cannot  fail  to  receive  its  due  meed  of  praise  for 
consummate  delicacy  and  good  feeling.  We  subjoin 
a  few  extracts  in  evidence: — 

"B.M.,  Sept.  12,  1834. 

"  Dear  Sir, 

As  this  publication,  or  rather  edition,  is  intended  _/Y;r?/oi« 
I  was  anxious  to  obtain  your  approbation,  well  knowing  besides 
that  if  I  were  so  fortunate  as  to  obtain  it  I  might  hope  not  to 
be  reasonably  found  fault  with  by  men  of  taste.  To  tell  you 
the  truth  I  fancy  the  volume  (as  I  almost  see  it  printed, 
pressed,  and  bound)  as  a  very  due  one.  Do  not  laugh  at  my 
cont-eit.  I  never  did  anything  so  much  con  amore.  AVitli 
notes  and  all  it  will  come  to  about  300  pages. 

Yours,  &c.,  A.  Panizzi." 

«  Vale  Royal,  15  Sept.,  1834. 
"  Dear  Sir, 

I  have  always  been  truly  sensible  to  tlie  kindness  with  wliich 
you  have  satistied  the  occasional  literary  enquiries  with  which 
you  have  allowed  me  to  trouble  you,  and  with  which  you  have 
taken  so  friendly  an  interest  in  the  details  of  my  small  collec- 
tion of  books,  and  in  its  gradual  improvement,  but  to  permit, 
if  I  may  iise  such  a  word,  or  to  encourage  you  to  incur  the 
expense  of  printing  a  work  of  300  pages  for  me  without  any 
intention  of  remunerating  yourself  by  the  sale  of  the  work,  is 
what  upon  no  consideration  I  ought  or  could  be  brouglit,  as 
far  as  I  am  concerned,  to  consent  to.  At  the  same  time,  I 
cannot  but  be  disposed  most  gratefully  to  accept  your  present,. 
and  most  anxioui?ly  to  assist  in  promoting  your  literary  lal)ours, 
so  u?eful  to  all  readers  of  taste  and  so  creditable  to  the  distin- 
s]juished  editor.  As  an  humble  associate  in  so  laudable  an 
undertaking,  I  trust  you  will  have  the  goodness  to  accept  me 
as  such,  and  have  therefore  taken  the  liberty  of  enclosing  a  small 
advance,  as  you  will  see  in  the  note  to  Coutts  which  accom- 
panies this.     By  your  kind  coacurrence  in  this  indispensable 


GREXVILLE  1)7 

course  you  will  increase  your  claim  upon  my  grateful  acknow- 
ledgments for  your  welcome  present,  and  will  thus  relieve  me 
from  difficulties  otherwise  insuperable.  I  cannot  but  add  like- 
wise my  earnest  wish  that  you  would  be  induced,  after  you 
have  indulged  your  liberality  in  your  presents  to  your  friends, 
to  give  the  work  to  the  public,  and  to  derive  from  it  the  profit 
to  which  you  are  so  justly  entitled.  Once  more,  dear  Sir, 
accept  my  grateful  thanks  for  your  intended  present,  which 
will  be  a  most  valuable  addition  to  my  library. 

Yours,  &c.,  Thomas  Grenville." 

»B.  M.,  Sept.  17,  1834. 

"  Dear  Sir, 

1  have  just  received  the  kind  note  with  which  you 
have  honoured  me,  and  I  cannot  conceal  how  greatly  mortified 
I  am  at  the  indispensable  condition,  as  you  call  it,  on  which 
you  will  do  me  the  honour  of  allowing  me  to  dedicate  to  you 
the  edition  of  Bojardo's  Lyrical  Poems.  I  assure  you  that  if 
you  insist  upon  it,  it  will  be  a  very  great  disappointment  to 
me.  1  have  taken  a  liking  to  Boj  irdo's  poems  because  they 
are,  in  my  opinion,  remarkably  fine,  because  I  owe  him  a 
good  deal  (ijince  it  is  through  him  that  I  have  had  the  honor 
of  becoming  acquainted  with  you  more  than  would  have  been 
likelv  to  be  the  case  had  he  not  written  the  Innamorato)  and 
because  he  was  born  in  my  native  province  ;  and  I,  having 
been  in  the  habit  of  spending  many  of  my  younger  days  at 
Scandlano,  feel  great  pleasure  in  being  occupied  with  the 
works  of  a  poet  whose  name  is  connected  in  my  mind  with  so 
many  dear  recollections.  I  intend  printing  a  limited  number 
of  copies  of  the  lyrical  poems,  because  few  persons  can  ap- 
preciate thf^m,  and  still  fewer  will  buy  them  ;  whilst  the 
present  will  be  more  acceptable  if  only  a  few  copies  of  a  book 
not  published  for  sale,  be  olfered  to  an  amateur. 

It  was  this  last  circumstance  which  induced  me  to  beg  of 
you  to  condescend  to  have  the  book  inscribed  to  you  :  for  as 
it  would  be  seen  only  by  those  who  knew  us  both,  or  evea 


98  THE    LIFE   OF   SIR   ANTHONY    TANIZZI 

cither  of  U9,  a  dedication  could  not  be  considered  but  what  it 
really  is  intended  to  be,  an  expression  of  gratitude  and  respect 
really  felt  and  due.  Were  I  to  s;iy  that  tlie  thou^dit  of  editing 
a  volume  which  was  to  bo  so  insci-ibed  did  not  render  the 
■occupation  still  more  agreeable  than  it  would  have  been,  I 
should  not  stute  the  fact  ;  but  I  can  truly  say  that  the  e«iition 
will  be  proceeded  with  at  all  events  even  sliould  you  not  allow 
me  to  oiler  it  to  you — a  detennihation  wliich  [  hope  you  will 
not  take.  You  will  sec  from  this  that  you  neither  cause,  per- 
mit, nor  encourage  expense,  and  that  consequently  1  cannot 
consent  to  your  bearing  any. 

With  many  and  many  thanks  foryour  kindness,  and  in  hope 
that  you  will  not  deprive  me  of  the  anticipated  pleasure  of 
inscribing  my  lililc  volume  to  you.      1  have,  &c., 

A.  Panizzi." 

"Yale  Eoyal,  19th  Sept.,  1834. 

'•  Dear  Sir, 

I  had  hoped  to  ovcrcomo  the  delicacy  of  your  scruples  in  a 
matter  which  appeared  to  me  likely  to  press  very  unreasonably 
upon  you;  but  your  letter  ex[)resses  so  strong  a  sense  of  morti- 
fication and  disappointment  at  the  earnestness  of  my  proposal, 
that  I  can  only   say  that   1    will  leave   tiie  decision  upon   it 

entirely  to  your  own  consideration  and  judgment. 

******** 

I  have  only  once  more  to  repeat  that  my  n)rmer  letter  had 
no  other  object  than  that  of  doing  wl.at  might  be  gratifying 
to  you,  and  that  1  wish  you  to  do  about  it  whatever  is  must 
agreeable  to  yourself,  and  that  you  may  be  assured  that  In 
all  events  1  shall  be  hi.i;hly  honoured  and  gratified  by  your 
inscribing  the  book  to  me. — 1  am,  &•., 

'JlIO.MAS   GkENVILLE." 

"Brit.  Mus.,  Sept.  22nd,  1834. 

"  Dear  Sir, 

Your  letter  of  the    19th  inst.,  which   I  have  just  had  the 
honour  of  receiving,  by  granting  the  request  I  made  on  my 


CHARLES    FELIX 


99 


own  terms,  and  srrantinrr  it  in  such  a  manner  renders  me  still 
more  deeply  indebted  to  you.  •"  *  ^'  "'  *  *  I  can  fully  enter 
into  the  motives  which  dictated  both  your  letters,  and  I  see  in 
both  of  them  a  fresh  proof  of  that  delicate  kindness  to  me 
which  I  have  so  often  experienced,  which  I  appreciate  to  its 
extent,  and  which  I  shall  never  forget. — Believe  me,  yours, 
<S:c.,  &c. 

A.  Panizzi." 

In  returnins:  from  our  dissertation  on  Panizzi's 
works  to  his  life,  we  bring-  the  narrative  back  to 
the  date  1830-1831,  it  may  be  observed,  when 
Europe  was  in  a  state  of  revolution.  In  Italy 
fresh  disturbances  indicated  that  the  spirit  of  discon- 
tent was  unallayed — especially  in  Modena — wliere 
Francis  IV.  continued  his  oppressive  government ; 
while  in  Piedmont,  a  more  earnest  and  conscientious 
people  founded  an  association  under  the  name  of 
Giovine  Italia ;  amongst  them  was  the  Genoese 
Giuseppe  Mazzini,  who  forwarded  an  address  (1831) 
to  the  King  of  Sardinia,  praying  for  a  Constitutional 
Statute. 

For  this  act  Mazzini  was  forced  into  exile,  and  from 
that  time  may  be  said  to  date  the  end  of  Carbonarism, 
which,  overpowered  by  the  new  scheme  of  not  only 
uniting  Italy,  but  of  establishing  a  Republican 
form  of  government,  seemed  to  have  alienated,  those 
that  were  left  of  the  older  patriots  who  had  sacrificed 
life  and  property  ten  years  previously. 

The  King,  Charles  Felix,  died,  leaving  behind  him 

the  reputation   of   having    ruled  his    kingdom   after 

the    fcishion    most    worthv    of    the     "  rois     faine- 

<intSy"  and  as  an  unworthy  nephew  of  Emanuel  Phili- 

11 


100  THE    LIFE    OF    SIR  ANTHONY    PANIZZI 

bert  and  Charles  Emanuel.  His  death,  by  a  strange 
coincidence,  happened  on  the  very  day,  in  the  same 
year  that  one  of  His  Majesty's  most  bitter  enemies^ 
Antonio  Panizzi,  entered  the  Institution  which  after- 
wards he  so  much  honoured. 

In  England  the  death  of  George  IV.  (1830),  and 
the  unpopularity  of  the  Duke  of  Wellington,  largely 
contributed  to  the  overthrow  of  the  Tory  party.  In 
France,  too,  the  expulsion  of  Charles  X.  (in  conse- 
quence of  his  attempts  on  the  constitution  and  the 
press),  had  its  influence  on  the  masses  in  tins  country ; 
the  elections  greatly  favoured  the  Whig  party,  and 
Mr.  Brougham,  raised  to  the  Peerage  on  the  22nd 
of  November,  1830,  took  the  earliest  opportunity,  as  an 
ex-officio  Trustee  of  the  British  Museum,  to  place  his 
Italian  friend  in  that  noble  establishment,  under  the 
title  of  Extra- Assistant  Librarian. 

On  the  27th  of  April,  1831,  his  appointment  was 
signed  by  the  Archbishop  of  Canterbury,  Dr.  Howley, 
and  by  the  Lord  Chancellor,  Brougham ;  the  House 
of  Commons  having  been  dissolved,  there  was  no 
Speaker  at  the  time.  Panizzi  had  to  give,  according 
to  usage,  two  securities  of  £500  each,  which  were 
promptly  forthcoming  in  the  persons  of  his  two  earliest 
friends  of  Liverpool,  Mr.  Ewart  and  INIr.  Haywood. 

Thus  far  have  we  drawn  from  the  materials  at  handy 
a  sketch  of  that  early  career  which  was  to  lead  to  the 
achievement  of  a  lasting  literary  reputation,  and  the 
exercise  of  an  energetic  adminstrative  faculty.  We 
have  glanced  at  the  struggles  of  the  incipient  juris- 
consult, the  patriotic  agitator,  the  outlaw,  the  home- 
less fugitive,  the  indigent  teacher,  the  literary  aspir- 


PANIZZI  101 

ant,  and,  in  every  vicissitude,  the  man  of  many 
warmly-attached  friends.  We  have  traced  his  pro- 
gress until  he  attained  the  position  wherein  his 
abilities  had  extended  scope,  wherein  his  influence 
was  to  be  beneficially  felt,  and  his  success  consum- 
mated. The  record  of  his  life  to  this  period  is  of 
itself  the  most  valuable  testimonial  to  his  character 
and  conduct ;  but  while  we  lay  sufficient  stress  on  his 
own  exertions,  let  us  not  forget  to  award  the  share  of 
honour  due  to  Lord  Brougham,  who,  discarding 
national  prejudice,  recognised  the  capacity,  and  gave 
ample  sphere  to  the  energy  and  genius  of  Antonio 
Tanizzi. 


H-^-SvlEIo^'-^H- 


CHAPTER   IV 

Tlie  British  Ilmeum  ;  Appointment  Discussed  ;    First  Duties  ;  Royal 
Socie'j!;  Promotion;   Cary  ;  IMlains  Letter  ;   Official  Residence. 


J 


1, 

.^  .y  I)  M 


OT  before  the  middle  of  the  eighteenth 
century  had  the  grand   idea  of  estab- 
lishing    a     National     Museum     been 
entertained  in  England.     The  project 
was  suggested  by  the  will  of  Sir  Hans 
ISloane,  liart.,  of  Chelsea,  M'ho,  during  a  long   period 
of  eminent  practice  in  physics, 
had  gathered  together  what- 
ever was  within  his  reach  of 
rare  and  curious,  not  only  in 
England,  but  in  other  coun- 
tries.    This  orreat  originator 
of   our    National    Collection 
was  born   in  1G60,    and  died 
in  175o.  The  codicil  of  his  will 
bears  date  the  20th  of  July, 
1749,  and  expresses  a  desire 
that   liis  collection  might  be 
kept  together  and  preserved  in  his  Manor  House. 

13y  the  said  codicil  the  testator  directs  that  his 
trustees  should  mal^e  their  humble  a])plication  to  His 
Majesty,  or  to  Parliament  at  the  next  session  after  his 


THE    BRITISH    MUSEUM  10c> 

own  decease,  offering  the  entire  collection  for  the  sum  of 
£20,000.  This  consistedof  a  numerous  library  of  books, 
and  MSS.,  Avith  drawings,  prints,  medals,  and  coins, 
articles  of  virtu,  cameos,  precious  stones,  &c.,  &c,, 
which  he  had  himself  collected  at  an  outlay  of  £-30,000. 

His  testamentary  offer  to  the  nation  was  accepted 
by  Parliament,  and  in  1753  an  Act  (26  George  II.,  c. 
20)  was  passed,  which  may  be  termed  a  Charter  of 
Foundation. 

Trustees  were  appointed,  the  identical  individuals 
named  by  Sir  Hans  during  his  lifetime,  who  had  been 
consulted  by  competent  persons,  and  strongly  felt  the 
necessity  of  procurins:  the  collection  as  a  whole  for 
the  use  of  the  nation. 

TJie  attention  of  the  legislature  was  not  confined 
simply  to  the  collection  of  Sir  Hans  Sioane.  The 
Act  which  directed  the  purchase  of  his  museum 
also  gave  instructions  for  the  purchase  of  the  Harleian 
collection  of  MSS.,  for  which  a  sum  of  £10,000  was 
granted.  This  Act  also  directed  that  the  Cottonian 
Library  of  MSS.,  which  had  been  granted  to  the 
Government  for  public  uses  by  an  Act  of  the  12th 
and  13th,  William  III.,  should,  with  the  addition  of 
the  library  of  Major  Arthur  Edwards,  form  part  of 
tl-e  ijeneral  collection. 

Ii  was  ordered  that  these  several  collections  sliould 
be  kept  in  their  respective  places  of  deposit  until  a 
more  convenient  and  durable  repository,  safer  from 
fire,  and  nearer  to  the  chief  places  of  public  resort, 
could  be  provided  for  the  reception  of  them  all. 

To  defray  the  expenses  of  these  purchases,  to  pro- 
cure a  fit  repository  for  their  preservation,   and  to 


104  TIIK    LIFE    OF    SIR   ANTHONY    PANIZZI 

provide  a  fund  for  the  permanent  support  of  the 
establishment  when  formed,  the  Act  directed  that 
£100.000  should  be  raised  byway  of  lottery,  the  net 
produce  of  which,  together  with  the  several  collec- 
tions, was  to  be  vested  in  a  corporate  body  selected 
from  the  highest  in  the  land  so  far  as  regards  rank, 
station,  and  literary  attainments,  upon  whom  it  con- 
ferred ample  powers  for  the  disposition,  preservation, 
and  management  of  the  Institution,  which,  it  was  deter- 
mined, should  bear  the  name  of  The  BriiisJi  Museum. 

Tlie  sum  really  raised  under  this  Act,  partly  in 
consequence  of  benefits  arising  from  unsold  tickets, 
amounted  to  £101,952.  7s.  Gd.  ;  but  the  expenses  of 
the  lottery  amounted  to  £0,200,  and  the  cashier 
of  the  bank  received  more  than  £550  in  consideration 
of  his  management  of  it,  so  that  the  net  produce  was 
£95,194.  8s.  2d.  Out  of  this  the  sum  of  £20,000 
was  paid  to  the  executors  of  Sir  Hans  Sloane;  £10,000 
to  the  Earl  and  Countess  of  Oxford  for  the  Harleian 
MSS. ;  £10,250  to  Lord  Halifox  for  Montague  House, 
and  £12,873  for  its  repairs,  which  had  been  estimated 
at  £3,800  ;  £30,000  being  set  apart  as  a  fund  for  the 
payment  of  future  salaries,  taxes,  and  other  expenses. 
Some  loss  was  also  sustained  by  the  difference  of  price 
between  the  times  of  buying  and  selling  stock,  and 
£4,6G0  were  expended  for  furniture.  The  surplus 
was  applied  to  the  gradual  liquidation  of  numerous 
and  general  expenses,  including  the  removal  of  the 
different  collections. 

The  only  buildings  offered  as  general  repositories 
were  Buckingham  House,  with  the  gardens  and  field, 
for  £30,000,  and  Montague  House  for  £10,000. 


THE    BRITISH    MUSEUM  105 

The  consideration  of  the  former  was  waived,  partly 
from  the  exorbitant  sum  demanded  for  it,  and  partly 
from  the  inconvenience  of  the  situation.  The  latter 
was  finally  fixed  upon,  and  the  agreement  for  its 
possession  was  drawn  up  in  the  spring-  of  1754. 

No  offer  of  ground  for  building  a  repository  was 
made,  except  in  Old  Palace  Yard,  where  it  was  at  one 
time  proposed  that  the  Museum  should  find  a  place 
in  the  general  plan  which  had  been  there  recently  de- 
signed by  Kent  for  the  New  Houses  of  Parliament. 

Montague  House  was  originally  built  about  1674, 
by  Ralpli,  Duke  of  Montague,  after  the  style  of  a 
French  j)alace.  It  was  erected  from  the  design  of 
Robert  Hooke,  the  celebrated  mathematician,  who 
took  so  important  a  part  in  the  re-building  of  London 
after  the  great  fire.  Foreign  artists  were  chiefly 
engaged  in  its  completion,  and  amongst  them  A^errio 
superintended  the  decorations. 

When  finished  it  was  considered  a  most  magnificent 
building;  but  on  the  19th  January,  1686,  owing  to 
the  nes^lioence  of  a  servant  the  house  was  burnt  to 
the  ground.  The  large  income  of  the  owner  was 
again  brought  into  requisition  for  the  re-construction 
of  his  palace  ;  and,  though  executed  by  fresh  artists, 
the  plan  was  the  same,  the  new  structure  being  raised 
upon  the  foundation  and  remaining  walls  of  the  old  one. 

The  architect  now  employed  was  Peter  Puget,  a 
native  of  Marseilles,  who  was  assisted  by  C.  dc  la 
Fosse,  J.  Rousseau,  and  J.  B.  Monnoyer,  three  artists 
of  great  eminence. 

The  exclusive  employment  of  French  artists  gave 
rise  to  the  popular,  but  improbable,  tale  that  Mon- 


106  THE    LIFE    OF   SIR   ANTHONY    PANIZZI 

tague  House  was  re-built  at  the  expense  of  Louis 
XIV.,  to  whose  Court  tlie  Dulce  had  twice  been 
attached  as  Ambassador. 

The  second  building  was  purchased  as  a  repository 
for  the  collections. 

In  1755  the  liarleian  MSS.  were  removed  into  it, 
and  the  following  year  the  other  collections  were 
added,  and  when  all  had  been  properly  distributed 
and  arranged  the  British  Museum  was  opened  for 
public  inspection  on  the  15th  of  January,  1759. 

The  government  of  the  Institution  was  vested  in 
trustees,  to  the  end  that,  as  the  Act  says :  "  A  free 
access  to  the  collections  may  be  given  to  all  studious 
and  curious  persons  at  such  times,  and  in  such  manner, 
and  under  such  regulations  for  inspecting  and  con- 
sulting the  said  collections,  as  by  the  said  trustees,  or 
the  major  part  of  them,  may  be  determined  in  any 
general  meeting  assembled." 

The  trustees  are  forty-eight  in  number.  Twenty- 
three  are  called  official,  being  the  holders  for  the  time 
being  of  certain  high  offices  ;  by  these  the  National 
interests  of  Church  and  State,  Law,  Science,  and  Art 
are  presumed  to  be  represented  and  protected.  Of 
these  the  Archbishop  of  Canterbury,  the  Lord  Chan- 
cellor, and  the  Speaker  of  the  House  of  Commons  are 
termed  the  Principal  T^^nsfees.  Nine  others  are  caUed 
the  Famihj  Trustees,  as  representing  the  families  of 
Sloane,  Cotton,  Harley,  etc.,  etc.  ;  one  is  termed  the 
Boyal  Trustee,  because  nominated  directly  by  the 
Crown.  The  remaining  fifteen  are  styled  the  Elected 
Trustees,  who  are  all  chosen  by  the  other  twenty- 
three. 


THE   BRITISH    MUSEUM  107 

In  accordance  with  the  desire  of  Sir  Hans  Sloane, 
the  elected  were  chosen  in  the  beginning  from  among 
the  adepts  in  learning  and  science,  and  this  practice 
continued  until  about  1791,  when  the  vacancies  began 
to  be  filled  almost  exclusively  by  persons  of  rank 
and  fortune. 

The  chief  officer  of  the  British  Museum  is  styled 
the  Princqjal  Librarian,  which  is  to  a  certain  extent 
a  misnomer,  as  he  has  no  more  to  do  with  the  books 
than  with  the  other  portions  of  the  collection  ;  he 
derives  his  appointment  from  the  Crown  under  sign 
manual,  and  is  entrusted  with  the  care  and  custody 
of  the  Museum,  his  duty  being  to  sec  that  all  the 
subordinate  officers  and  servants  perform  their  re- 
spective duties  properly. 

The  different  departments  are  each  managed  by  a 
head  called  Keeper,  and  in  most  of  them  there  is 
also  an  Assistant -Keeper,  besides  assistants  and 
attendants. 

The  patronage  of  the  Museum  is  vested  in  tlie  three 
Principal  Trustees,  of  whom  the  Archbishop  cf 
Canterbury  takes  precedence. 

The  hours  for  the  opening  of  the  Museum  in  1759 
were  from  9  o'clock  in  the  morning  till  3  in  the 
afternoon,  from  Monday  to  Friday  between  the  months 
of  September  and  April  inclusive,  and  also  at  the 
same  hours  on  Tuesday  in  May,  June,  July,  and 
August,  but  on  Monday  and  Friday  only  from  4 
o'clock  till  8  in  the  afternoon  during  these  four 
months, 

Persons  desirous  of  inspecting  the  Museum  were  ta 
be  admitted  by  printed  tickets  to  be  delivered  by  the 


lOS  THE    LIFE    OF    SIR    ANTHONY    PANIZZI 

porter  upon  their  application  in  writing.  No  more 
than  ten  tickets  were  to  be  delivered  out  for  each 
hour ;  five  of  the  persons  producing  such  tickets 
were  to  be  attended  by  the  Under-Librarian,  and  the 
other  five  by  the  Assistant  Librarian  in  each  Depart- 
ment. 

On  the  30th  of  March,  17C1,  the  hours  of  admission 
were  changed  from  nine  to  eleven  and  one,  and  the 
number  admitted  at  one  time  was  increased  to  15, 

On  the  9th  of  February,  1774,  a  Committee  of  the 
House  of  Commons  was  appointed  to  consider  a  more 
convenient  method  of  admitting  persons  into  the 
Museum,  and  on  the  11th  of  May  the  Committee  sug- 
gested that  on  certain  days  visitors  should  pav  for 
admission.  This  was  ado^^ted  and  the  practice  continued 
for  36  years  afterwards,  when,  in  1810,  Mr.  Planta,then 
Principal  Librarian,  first  took  the  step  of  having  the 
Museum  opened  three  times  a  week  from  ten  to  four 
o'clock,  without  tickets. 

The  first  '' Frind])al  Lihraricm''  was  Dr.  Gowin 
Knight,  a  distinguished  member  of  the  College  of 
Physicians.  Lie  was  appointed  in  1756,  and  remained  at 
the  Museum  till  1772,  when  he  was  succeeded  by  Dr. 
Matthew  Maty,  who  was  born  in  1718,  near  Utrecht, 
and  was  educated  at  the  University  of  Leyden.  In 
1740  he  published  "  Dissertatio  philosophica  inaugu- 
ralis  de  Usu,"  and,  later  on,  a  work  on  the  effects  of 
habit  and  custom  upon  the  human  frame.  Coming  to 
England  in  1741,  he  practised  as  a  physician,  and 
soon  became  a  man  of  reputation,  but  much  of  his 
spare  time  was  occupied  in  literary  pursuits,  and  at 
•the  death  of  Dr.  Knight  he  was  appointed  Piinci_pal 


THE    BRITISH    MUSEUM  109 

Lihmrkm,  which  post,  however,  he  held  only  for  four 
years,  as  he  died  in  1776. 

Dr.  Charles  Morton,  a  native  of  Westmoreland,  born 
in  1710,  was  his  successor.  He  was  the  author  of 
several  important  works,  and  contributed  largely  to 
the  "  Philosophical  Transactions."  His  death  took 
place  on  the  10th  of  February,  1799. 

Joseph Planta next  obtained  the  appointment,  having 
been  engaged  in  17  73  as  an  Assistant  Librarian.  Anative 
of  Switzerland,he  was  born  on  the  21st  of  February,!  744, 
and  educated  at  Utrecht,  besides  having  been  a  student 
at  the  University  of  Gottingen.  From  the  date  of  his 
appointment  as  Principal  Librarian  (1799)  it  may  be 
said  that  the  affairs  of  the  Museum  began  to  improve  ; 
chiefly  devoting  himself  to  the  improvement  of  the 
reading-room,  in  ISIG  the  number  of  visitors  in- 
creased, and,  as  already  stated,  he  suggested  the  vast 
improvement  of  throwing  open  the  doors  of  the 
British  Museum  freely  three  times  a  week.  He  died  in 
1827. 

Sir  Ilenry  Ellis  next  occupied  the  position  of  Prin- 
cipal Librarian,  having  been  a  servant  of  the  Trustees 
since  1800.  He  was  born  at  Shoreditch,  in  London, 
29th  of  November,  1777,  but  of  him  we  shall  have 
occasion  to  speak  more  fully  hereafter. 

During  this  period  the  contents  of  the  British 
Museum  were  divided  into  three  separate  depart- 
ments, namely,  Printed  Books,  Manuscripts,  and 
Natural  History,  and  to  the  first  of  these  we  must 
now  draw  the  reader's  attention. 

The  department  of  Printed  Books  consisted  at  first 
only  of  the  librarv  of  Sir  Hans  Sloane,  which  is  said 


110  THE    LIFE    OF   SIR   ANTHONY    PANIZZI 

to  have  amoimted  to  50,000  volumes,  and  that  of 
Major  Edwards  ;  these  were  not,  however,  actually 
transferred  to  the  Museum  till  17G9.  In  1757  His 
Majesty  George  II.,  "  fully  impressed  with  a  convic- 
tion of  the  utility  of  this  Institution,"  by  instrument 
under  the  Great  Seal,  added  the  Library  of  Printed 
Books  and  Manuscripts,  which  had  been  gradually 
collected  by  the  Sovereigns  of  these  realms  from 
Henry  VII.  do^vn  to  William  III.  Rich  in  the  pre- 
vailing literature  of  different  periods,  and  including, 
with  others,  the  libraries  of  Archbishop  Cranmer 
and  of  Isaac  Casaubon,  this  library  also  contains  the- 
venerable  Alexandrian  Codex  of  the  Bible.  His 
Majesty  added  to  his  gift  the  privilege  which  the 
Eoyal  Library  had  acquired  in  the  reign  of  Anne,  of 
being  sujDjilied  with  a  copy  of  every  publication 
entered  at  Stationers'  Hall. 

The  bulk  of  this  Royal  Collection  consists  of  books 
of  English  divinity,  history,  classics,  &c.,  as  well  as  of 
Italian  and  Spanish  works,  many  of  the  volumes  re- 
markable for  being  printed  on  vellum,  or  dedication 
copies.  The  most  valuable  among  them  are  the  pro- 
ductions of  Verard,  the  celebrated  Paris  printer  (1480- 
1530),  who  struck  off,  during  the  reign  of  Henry  VIL, 
a  copy  on  vellum  of  every  book  he  printed.  Unfor- 
tunately, part  of  this  collection  was  dispersed. 

In  1759,  Mr.  Salomon  Da  Costa  presented  180' 
Hebrew  books,  which,  as  he  states,  "  had  been 
gathered  and  bound  for  King  Charles  11." 

The  department  was  further  enriched,  in  1762,  by 
a  donation  from  George  III.  of  a  collection  of  pam- 
phlets and  periodicals  published  in   the  convulsive 


SIR   JOSEPH    BANKS  HI 

interval  between  the  years  16-iO  and  1660.  Chiefly 
illustrative  of  the  civil  wars  in  the  time  of  Charles  I., 
they  Avere  collected  by  an  eminent  bookseller,  George 
Thomason  ;  the  whole  comprises  upwards  of  30,000 
articles,  bound  in  about  2,000  volumes. 

It  is  impossible  to  enumerate  in  detail  all  the  addi- 
tions which  have  been  since  made  by  gift  or  purchase. 
Dr.  Thomas  Birch's  library,  bequeathed  in  1766,  is 
rich  in  biography  ;  two  collections  of  books  on  musi- 
cal science  were  also  presented — one  by  Sir  John 
Hawkins,  in  1778,  and  the  other  by  Dr.  Charles 
Burney. 

In  1780,  900  volumes  of  old  English  plays  were 
given  to  the  Museum  by  Gavrick.  In  1780,  numerous 
classics  from  the  library  of  Thomas  Tyrwhitt,  and  a  col- 
lection of  ceremonials,  processions,  and  heraldry  from 
Mrs.  Sophia  Sarah  Banks  was  added.  These  gifts 
were  supplemented  in  1818,  two  years  later,  by  the 

library  of  Sir  Joseph  Banks, 
consisting  of  about  16,000 
volumes,  particularly  rich  in 
scientific  journals,  transac- 
tions of  societies,  and  books 
on  natural  history,  but  which 
were  not  actuallv  transferred 
to  the  Museum  till  1827. 
^        ^        ^  A  collection  of  Italian  his- 

l\/i     ®L-  ^^^^y  ^^^^  topography  from  Sir 

Richard  Colt-Hoare,  Bart., 
was  presented  in  1825.  This 
gentleman  printed  only  twelve  copies  of  the  catalogue 
of  his  books,  and  wrote  on  the  fly-leaf  of  the  copy 


112  THE    LIFE    OF    SIR   ANTHONY    PANIZZI 

which  accompanied  the  presentation,  "  Anxious  to 
follow  the  liberal  example  of  our  gracious  monarch, 
George  IV.  ;  of  Sir  George  Beaumont,  Bart.,  of 
Richard  Payne-Knight,  Esq.  (though  in  a  very  hum- 
ble degree),  I  do  give  unto  the  British  Museum  this 
my  collection  of  topography,  made  during  a  residence 
of  five  years  abroad,  and  hoping  that  the  more  modern 
publications  may  be  added  to  it  hereafter,  a.d.  1825. 
Richard  Colt-Hoare.  This  catalogue  contains  1,733 
articles." 

The  valuable  library  of  the  Rev.  Clayton  Mordaunt 
Cracherode,  consisting  of  4,-500  volumes,  came  into 
the  possession  of  the  Museum  in  1799  ;  and  lastly,  in 
1835,  Major-General  liardwicke  bequeathed  to  the 
Trustees  the  deficient  works  on  natural  history  which 
formed  part  of  his  library,  and  which  caused  an 
accession  of  300  volumes. 

Parliament  also  en  inced  its  interest  in  the  library, 
and  gave  instructions  for  the  following  purchases : — • 

Mr.  Francis  Hargrave,  an  eminent  barrister,  had 
formed  an  important  collection  of  law  books,  which 
was  purchased  in  1813  for  £8,000,  having  been  valued 
by  a  bookseller  at  £2,247.  8s. 

Dr.  Burney's  library  was  likewise  purchased  in 
1818,  and  was  estimated  at  the  value  of  9,000 
guineas.  It  contained  a  remarkable  collection  of 
Greek  classics,  besides  700  volumes  of  newspapers, 
&;c.,  &c. 

In  1769  a  sum  of  £7,000  was  paid  for  Major 
Edwards'  library,  and  in  1S0'±  i\\i-  sum  of  £150  was 
applied  to  the  purchase  of  a  collection  of  Bibles 
belonging  to  Mr.  Combe. 


THE   BRITISH    MUSEUM  113 

In  1807  classical  works,  with  MS.  notes  by  Dr. 
Bentley,  were  also  obtained  by  purchase. 

£1,000  were  spent  in  1812  in  the  purcliase  of  works 
on  English  history  and  topography,  and  in  1815  books 
on  music,  belonging  to  Dr.  Barney,  were  acquired  for 
the  sum  of  £253. 

In  the  course  of  the  same  year  a  collection  of  books, 
portraits,  minerals,  &c.,  belonging  to  Baron  Moll,  of 
Munich,  became  national  property  for  the  considera- 
tion of  £4.,777.  17s.  5d.,  and  in  1818,  the  Gmguene 
collection,  consisting  of  1,675  articles,  chiefly  on  Italian 
literature,  besides  2,686  articles  in  Greek,  Latin, 
French,  &c.,  &c.,  &c.,  became  another  addition  for 
£1,000. 

Four  separate  collections  of  tracts,  illustrating  the 
Revolutionary  History  of  France,  have  been  purchased 
at  diflferent  times  by  the  Trustees.  One  was  that 
formed  l)y  the  last  President  of  the  Parliament  of 
Brittany,  at  the  commencement  of  the  revolution  ;  two 
others  extended  generally  throughout  the  period, 
whilst  the  fourth  was  a  collection  of  tracts  and  papers 
published  during  the  "  Hundred  Days  "  of  the  year 
1815,  and  became  the  property  of  the  Museum  in 
182o,  the  whole  forming  a  library  of  revolutionary 
history,  which  contains  as  complete  an  account  of 
those  important  days  for  France  as  does  the  already- 
mentioned  collection  of  tracts  of  the  civil  wars  of 
England. 

Anotlicr  and  unrivalled  feature  of  the  Museum 
history  is  its  progressive  collection  of  newspapers  from 
1588.  But  as,  for  the  purposes  of  this  biography,  we 
have  stated  enough  of  the  condition  of  the  Museum. 


114  THE   LIFE    OF   SIR  ANTHONY    PANIZZI 

^t  the  time  of  Panizzi's  appointment,  we  shall  say  no 
more  on  th(^  subject  except  to  add  a  few  words  on  the 
general  collection  at  the  British  Museum,  which  may 
not  be  devoid  of  interest  at  this  point  of  our  nar- 
rative. 

Between  1805  and  1816  were  added  the  choice 
statues  and  antiques  of  ]\Ir.  Charles  To"v\Tiley,  the 
Lansdowne  MSS.,  theGreville  minerals,  the  Phigaleian 
and  the  Elgin  marbles.  Whilst,  however,  treasures 
upon  treasures  were  accumulating  in  the  Institution, 
other  good  opportunities  were  allowed,  through 
apathy  and  ignorance,  to  be  neglected,  and  amongst 
the  rarities  thus  lost  were  Dodwell's  Greek  vases, 
Belzoni's  alabaster  sarcophagus,  the  yEgina  marbles, 
the  Millingen  vases,  and,  last  but  not  least,  the  famous 
collection  of  drawings  by  old  masters  acquired  by  the 
energy  of  Sir  Thomas  Lawrence,  which,  by  the  terms 
of  his  will,  was  offered  to  the  nation  for  one-third  of 
its  original  cost. 

To  this  neglect  was  added  the  sale  of  duplicate  books, 
Avhich  so  much  disheartened  Lord  Fitzwilliam  (who 
died  in  1816,  and  who  intended  to  bequeath  his  col- 
lection to  the  British  Museum),  that  lie  altered  his 
mind,  and  handed  it  over  to  the  University  of  Cam- 
bridge. 

In  1823  the  library  of  George  III.  was  presented 
by  George  IV.  to  the  nation,  and  ordered  by  Parlia- 
ment to  be  added  to  the  Library  of  the  British 
Museum,  but  for  ever  to  be  kept  separate  from  the 
other  books.  Immcdiatelv  after  his  accession  George 
III.  began  to  purchase  books,  and  for  this  purpose 
gave  Mr.  Joseph  Sr.iith,  Consul  at  Venice,  £10,000  for 


THE    BRITISH    MUSEUM  115 

his  collection,    besides  other  money  which  he  sent  to 
various  continental  agents. 

This  library  contains  selections  of  the  rarest  kind, 
more  especially  works  in  the  first  stages  of  the  art  of 
printing,  and  is  rich  in  early  additions  of  the  classics, 
in  books  by  Caxton,  in  the  history  of  the  States  of 
Europe,  in  the  Transactions  of  Academies,  &c.  At  the 
time  of  its  formation  the  houses  of  the  Jesuits  were 
undergoing  suppression,  and  their  libraries  were  on 
sale.  It  was  accumulated  durins^  more  than  half  a 
century  at  an  expenditure  of  little  less  than  £200,000. 

In  the  preface  to  the  catalogue  it  is  stated  that  it 
was  compiled  in  accordance  with  a  plan  suggested  by 
Dr.  Samuel  Johnson.  Plis  Majesty's  Librarian  was  Sir 
Frederick  Barnard,  who  survived  his  royal  master, 
and  continued  to  hold  the  appointment  until  the 
library  became  national  property.  He  died  at  the 
age  of  87  on  the  27th  of  January,  1830. 

Soon  after  the  reception  of  the  gift,  a  Select  Com- 
mittee of  the  House  of  Commons  reported  (April  18, 
1823)  that  a  new  iire-proof  building  ought  to  be 
erected  to  preserve  it  from  all  risks,  and  accordingly  the 
present  east  wing  of  the  ^luseum  was  built,  at  the  cost 
!if  £140,000,  bylsir  Robert  Smirke.  The  upper  floor, 
though  it  has  been  used  for  the  Natural  History  col- 
lection, was  intended  for  a  picture  gallery  and  for  the 
reception  of  MSS.  The  new  building  was  completed 
in  1826,  but  the  library  was  not  opened  for  two  years 
afterwards.  The  room  is  300  feet  in  length,  55 
feet  in  width  in  the  centre,  and  31  in  height. 
The  presses  are  all  glazed  to  preserve  the  books 
from  dust.  In  the  centre  of  the  room  are  four 
1 


]]G  THE    LIFE    OF    SIR  ANTHONY    PANIZZI 

columns  of  Aberdeen  cranite,  each  of  a  single 
piece,  surmounted  by  Corinthian  capitals  of  Derby- 
shire alabaster.  Over  the  door  are  inscriptions,  one 
in  Latin  and  the  other  in  English,  in  these  terms  : — 
*'  This  Library,  collected  by  King  George  III.,  was 
given  to  the  British  Nation  by  his  Most  Gracious 
Majesty  George  IV.,  in  the  third  year  of  his  reign, 
A.D.,  MDCCCXXiii."  As  to  the  reality  of  the  gift  to  the 
nation  there  is  som.e  doubt  ;  for  it  appears  that 
George  IV.,  having  some  pressing  call  for  money,  did 
not  decline  a  proposition  for  selling  the  library  in 
question  to  the  Emperor  of  Russia.  Mr,  Heber,  the 
bibliographer  and  book  collector,  having  ascertained 
the  facts,  and  that  the  books  were  in  danger  of  leaving 
for  the  Baltic,  sought  an  interview  with  Lord  Sidmouth, 
the  Home  Secretary,  and  stated  the  case,  observing — 
*'  What  a  shame  it  ivoidd  he  that  such  a  collection 
should  go  out  of  the  countrij  T  to  which  Lord 
Sidmouth  replied,  ^^  It  shall  not;''  and,  as  it  proved 
afterwards,  the  library  was  presented  to  the  nation, 
but  on  condition  that  the  value  should  be  paid,  which 
was  done  from  the  surplus  of  certain  funds  furnished 
by  France  for  the  compensation  of  "  losses  by  the 
revolution." 

AVith  this  necessarily  brief  account  of  the  rise  and 
progress  of  the  British  Museum,  we  return  now  to 
the  immediate  subject  of  these  memoirs. 

In  the  previous  chapter  reference  has  been  made 
to  Panizzi's  dislike  to  the  appellation  of  ^'■foreigner  " 
a  dislike,  which,  indeed,  he  always  entertained. 

The  act  of  naturalization  took  place  scarcely  one  year 
after  he  became  a   servant  of  the   Trustees    of  the 


THE   BKITISH    MUSEUM  117 

British  Museum.  It  bears  the  date  of  March  24th, 
1832,  and  was,  as  might  be  expected,  a  source  ot 
great  satisfaction  to  him. 

It  has  ah'eady  been  noticed  that  the  National  In- 
stitution had  previously  enrolled  amongst  its  increas- 
ing staff  other  foreigners,  who  all  held  important,  if 
not  responsible,  appointments — viz.,  Dr.  Maty,  a 
Dutchman,  and  the  very  first  Undcr-Librarian  of  the 
Department  of  Printed  Books,  afterwards  Principal 
Librarian ;  Dr.  Solander,  a  Swede,  and  Joseph 
Planta,  a  Swiss,  besides  Charles  Konig,  a  German 
Of  these,  strange  to  say,  not  one  was  natural- 
ized. Panizzi  was  now  an  Englishman  after  his  own 
heart,  and  his  subsequent  political  career  wiU 
amply  testify  to  the  pride  he  took  in  being  so. 
His  suitability  for  the  appointment  and  the 
causes  which  led  to  his  selection  for  so  responsible 
an  office,  will  be  best  understood  from  the  Archbishop 
of  Canterbury's  own  statement  before  the  Select 
Committee  on  the  British  Museum,  which  sat  in 
1836  ;  but  on  this  subject  more  will  be  said  here- 
after. 

His  answer  (No.  5,511)  to  a  question  put  to  him 

was  as  follows  : — 

"Mr.  Panizzi  was  entirely  unknown  tome,  except  by  reputa- 
tion ;  I  understood  that  he  was  a  civilian  who  had  come  from 
Italy,  and  that  he  was  a  man  of  great  acquirements  and  talents, 
peculiarly  well  suited  for  the  British  Museum  ;  that  was 
represented  to  me  by  several  persons  who  were  not  connected 
with  the  ^luseum,  and  it  was  strongly  pressed  by  several 
Trustees  of  the  jNIuscum,  who  were  of  opinion  that  j\Ir. 
Panizzi's  appointment  would  prove  very  advantageous  for 
the  Institution ;  and  considcnng  the  qualifications  of  that 
1  2 


118  THE    LIFE    OF    SIR    ANTHONY    PANIZZI 

gentleman,  his  knowledge  of  foreign  languages,  his  eminent 
ability  and  extensive  attainments,  I  could  not  doubt  the 
propriety  of  acceding  to  their  wishes." 

The  news  of  his  appointment  was  first  com- 
municated to  him  on  the  25th  of  April,  1831,  by  the 
Right  Hon.  Thomas  Grenville. 

"  I  am  just  come  from  a  meeting  of  the  Trustees  of  the 
Museum  and  have  the  satisfaction  of  telling  you  that  your 
name,  when  proposed  to  succeed  to  the  vacant  Assistant 
Librarianship,  was  received  with  high  testimony  to  you,  univer- 
sally approved,  and  the  Archbishop  said  he  would  lose  no  time  in 
signing  the  appointment,  and  in  obtaining  the  Chancellor's 
concurrence. 

The  appointment  Avas  £200  per  annum  for  five  days  in  the 
week,  and  £75  for  extra  attendance  to  INIr.  Walter.  I  am 
very  glad  of  your  success,  and  think  that  your  appointment 
will  be  of  great  value  to  the  JMuseum." 

That  the  Trustees  were  satisfied  with  the  perfor- 
mance of  Panizzi's  duties  there  can  be  no  doubt,  and 
it  Avill  be  interestinsr  to  record  his  earliest  labours. 
His  first  report  is  dated  May  4th,  1831,  in  which  it 
is  stated  that  he  was  engaged  in  transcribing  a 
catalogue  of  duplicates  to  be  submitted  to  the  Royal 
Society  for  their  selection.  This  duty  was  soon  fol- 
lowed by  cataloguing  an  extraordinary  collection  of 
tracts,  illustrative  of  the  history  of  the  French 
Revolution,  and  formerly  the  property  of  Mr.  Croker. 
That  it  was  no  easy  task,  and  that  it  demanded  special 
attention,  may  be  gathered  from  a  letter  which  the 
cataloguer  addressed  on  the  18th  of  April,  1834,  to  Mr. 
Baber,  then  his  superior  officer  : — • 

"1st,  As  to  the  omission  of  the  Christian  name  of  the  author,, 
when  his  family  name  is  given. 

2nd.   As  to  the  great  proportion  of  anonymous  tracts. 


THE  ROYAL  SOCIETY  119 

3rd.  As  to  the  number  of  works  without  any  author's  name 
or  title  whatever,  or  with  so  vague  a  title  as  to  be  of  no  use 
for  the  purpose  of  cataloguing  the  work." 
He  continues  : — 

"  Much  time  is  spent  in  searching  for  names  or  for  author  i, 
and  in  glancing  over  tracts  to  see  what  is  their  subject,  to 
catalogue  them  properly,  after  a  most  tedious  search  proves 
useless  with  respect  to  the  first  point,  and  no  evidence  remains 
of  the  trouble  and  loss  of  time  which  it  causes.  I  cannot 
catalogue  more  than  forty  tracts  each  day." 

As  it  is  a  matter  of  importance  that  Panizzi's 
stormy  connection  with  the  Royal  Society  should  be 
fairly  and  impartially  added  to  these  memoirs,  and  as 
we  have  now  arrived  at  the  period  when,  for  the 
proper  elucidation  of  the  facts  thereto  belonging,  the 
whole  circumstances  of  the  case  should  be  thorouglily 
weighed  and  dwelt  upon,  it  will  be  necessary  to  devote 
a  few  pages  to  a  clear  account  of  the  proposal  made 
by  that  Society,  of  the  obstacles  that  were  placed  in 
Panizzi's  path,  in  his  conscientious  endeavours  to  fulfil 
the  obligations  imposed  on  him,  and  of  the  un- 
tiring zeal  and  patience  he  displayed  in  doing  his  duty 
in  the  matter,  and  in  opposing  the  force  with  which 
it  was  attempted  to  crush  the  evidence  of  his  superior 
talent,  and  to  trample  under  foot  even  the  Society's  own. 
verbal  agreements  upon  which,  as  coming  from  a  body 
of  men  beyond  suspicion,  Panizzi  relied.  The  whole  of 
that  opposition  was  successfully  surmounted  by  his 
undoubted  genius. 

Biographers  generally  have  to  undergo  the  tedium 
of  monotony  in  their  faithful  endeavours  to  reproduce 
the  lives  of  those  whose  careers  they  pen,  and  it  is 
only  at  certain  epochs   in   the   course   of  the  lives  of 


120  THE    LIFE    OF    SIR   ANTHONY    PANIZZI 

consistent  men  that  an  opportunity  is  afForded  for  a 
discursive  chapter  such  as  is  now  presented  to  our 
readers.  It  deserves,  however,  due  consideration,  and 
has  its  value  as  a  proof  of  the  forbearance,  learning, 
and  perseverance  of  the  man  of  whom  we  are  writing ; 
whilst  it,  without  doubt,  throws  somewhat  into  shade 
the  members  of  a  very  learned  Society,  who  vainly 
strove,  first  from  want  of  knowledge  of  their  own  re- 
quirements, and  secondly  from  non-appreciation  of  him 
"with  whom  they  had  to  deal,  to  undervalue  true  talent, 
and,  by  their  associative  power,  to  make  a  show  of 
quashing  not  only  Panizzi's  {subsequently  j^yovedj  in- 
telHgence,  but  also  his  right  to  acknowledgment  for 
the  new  light  he  threw  upon  their  want  of  accuracy 
and  knowledge  for  the  work  which  they  had  confided 
to  him,  and  for  which  they  should — some,  at  least^ 
must — have  knoA^ii  he  was  so  eminently  fitted. 

The  origin,  progress,  and  denoiiment  of  this  affair 
cannot  be  brought  within  very  small  compass ;  but 
attracting  (as  they  did  at  the  time)  the  notice  of  many 
literary  men,  are  worthy  of  some  space  in  this  volume. 

It  would  be  amusing  to  watch  the  progress  of  this 
attempt  to  thwart  Panizzi's  intentions  for  the  develop- 
ment of  that  which  he  so  well  understood,  even  were 
it  not  also  a  necessary  record  of  the  heartburnings  of,^ 
and  wrongs  done  to,  one  who,  justly  confident  in  his 
own  position,  had  to  prove,  step  by  step,  willingly  or 
not,  for  his  own  defence,  his  superiority  to  those 
whose  business  it  was  to  direct  him,  and  not  to  derive 
from  him  their  inspiration. 

To  proceed,  then,  as  we  have  intimated  above,  in 
reference  to  the  connection  of  Panizzi  with  the  Royal 


THE    KOYAL    SOCIETY  121 

Society ;  and  to  give  our  readers  a  clear  conception  of 
that  connection,  it  Avill  be  necessary  to  make  con- 
siderable quotations  from  his  o^vn  letters  and  notes, 
for  which,  considering  their  importance  as  indications 
of  his  learning,  and  humility  under  adverse  treat- 
ment, it  will  scarcely  be  necessary  for  us  to  offer  any 
apology. 

In  the  year  (1832-33)  the  Royal  Society,  from  the 
incompetency  of  those  who  had  taken  the  matter  in 
hand,  found  it  advisable  to  engage  the  services  of 
some  knoNvn  and  experienced  cataloguer  to  revise  a 
work,  which  had  been  begun  on  their  behalf  by  one 
of  the  members,  whose  presumption  and  arrogance 
cannot  be  better  proved  than  in  the  mild  unassuming 
languas^e  of  Panizzi  himself : — 

"  So  long  ago  as  October,  1832,  I  happened  to  meet  Dr. 
Roget  at  dinner,  wlio  told  me  that  the  Catalogue  of  the  Royal 
Society,  of  which  a  sheet  had  been  set  up  in  type  as  a  speci- 
men, had  been  found  to  require  revision  in  passing  through  tlie 
press,  and  that  a  Committee,  on  tliat  very  day,  had  requested 
him  to  ask  me  whether  I  would  undertake  the  task.  I  said 
that  I  had  no  objection,  and  I  received  from  him  a  proof  o^  the 
sheet  in  question.  The  same  evening,  on  my  return  home, 
irlancingf  over  it,  I  was  astonished  at  the  numberless  errors  by 
which  it  was  disfio-ured.  The  more  I  looked  into  it,  the  worse 
did  it  appear,  and  I  soon  felt  convinced  that  it  was  utterly  in- 
capable of  correction.  I  immediately  wrote  a  note  to  Dr. 
Roget,  stating  the  conclusion  to  which  I  had  come,  and  begging 
to  decline  to  have  anything  to  do  with  a  work  which  I  felt 
satisfied  would  be  disgraceful  to  the  Royal  Society,  and  to  any 
person  who  should  venture  to  meddle  with  it.  Either  in  tliat 
note,  or  verbally,  shortly  after,  I  mentioned  to  Dr.  Roget  that  it 
would  be  necessary  for  the  Royal  Society  to  have  an  entirely  new 
Catalogue,  compiled  in  such  a  manner  as  would  answer  the  ex- 


122  THE    LIFE   OF    SIR   ANTHONY    PANIZZI 

pectations  which  the  public  had  a  right  to  form  :  adding,  that, 
although  I  would  never  attempt  to  correct  what  had  already 
been  done,  I  was  ready  to  undertake  a  new  compilation. 

I  had  no  idea  when  I  so  candidly  expressed  my  opinion,  that 
I  was  making  a  powerful  and  unrelenting  enemy  in  one  of 
the  most  influential  officers  of  the  Eoyal  Society,  who,  as  I 
have  learned  since,  had  put  together  the  titles  of  books  which 
were  to  form  the  Catalogue,  and  was  so  well  satisfied  with  his 
performance  as  to  order  a  very  large  number  of  titles  to  be  set 
■up  in  type  ;  whatever,  in  fact,  he  included  in  classes,  which  he 
called  :  Mathematics,  Astronomy  and  Navigation,  Mechanics, 
Optics,  Transactions,  Tables  and  Journals.  The  IMembers  of 
the  Catalogue  Committee,  on  being  informed  of  what  had 
passed  between  Dr.  Eoget  and  myself,  perceived  that  my 
opinion,  as  to  the  value  of  the  work  done,  was  correct,  and  it 
was  resolved  that  the  compilation  of  a  new  Catalogue  should  be 
intrusted  to  my  care.  Thus,  not  only  all  that  had  been  done 
Avas  undone  at  once,  but  the  time  which  had  been  lost,  and, 
what  is  more,  the  unwarrantable  expense  incurred  by  sending 
so  large  a  proportion  of  the  ill-digested  work  to  press,  was 
thrown  away.  Such  is  the  origin  of  my  connection  with  the 
Koyal  Society." 

This  is  an  extract  from  a  letter  dated  28th  January, 
1837,  from  Panizzi  to  his  Royal  Highness  the  Duke 
of  Sussex  (then  President  of  the  Royal  Society),  a  letter 
wherein  is  fully  set  forth  his  whole  conduct  in  the  case, 
and  which,  besides  revealing  the  interile  and  almost 
unpardonable  errors  he  detected  in  the  titles  brought 
under  his  notice,  is  a  wonderful  certificate  to  the 
patience,  endurance,  and  acuteness  of  a  gentleman 
Avho  was  called  upon  to  contend,  single-handed,  with 
a  corporate  body,  supported  by  a  clique  necessarily 
jealous  of  its  own  distinction. 

Wg  shall  now  ex])lain  as  clearly  as  possible  the 
course  pursued  by  tlie  Society,  and  the  pains-taking. 


THE   KOYAL   SOCIETY  123 

much  enduring-  way  in  which  Panizzi  met  his  oppo- 
nents. 

•  Let  us,  therefore,  continue  to  extract  from  the 
memorable  letter  to  H.R.H.  the  Duke  of  Sussex,  those 
passages  wherein  are  particularized  the  egregious 
blunders  of  Panizzi's  predecessor  in  the  work  : — 

"  Authors'  names  were  not  better  treated  than  the  subjects. 
Bonaventura,  the  Christian  name  of  CavaUeri,  was  taken  for  a 
family  name,  and  a  cross  reference  put  from  it  to  Cavalieri ;  of 
the  three  mathematical  decades  oi^  Giovan  Camillo  Grloriosi,  one 
was  put  under  Camillo,  his   second  Christian  name,  and  the 
remainder  under  his  family  name   Grloriosi.      On  entering  a 
■collection,  the  word  Collezione  was  taken  for  a  surname,  and 
Xuova  for  a  cliristian  name,  and  thus  the  entry  is  to  be  found 
■"  Collezione  (X.)  "     I  will  not  notice  mere  errors  of  the  press, 
of  which  the  number  is  prodigious  ;   but  there    are    entries 
wliich  prove  abundantly  that  the  printer  was  not  to  be  accused 
of  them,     Cossali's  History   of  Algol^ra  in   Italy  was  printed 
Nclla  Real  Tipograjia  Parmense,  and  Parmense  was  gravely 
inserted  as  the  name  of  the  place  where  the  book  was  printed. 
Da   Cunha's  mathematical  principles    were    translated  into 
French  by  D'Abreu  after  the  author's  death,  and  have  this 
title  :    "  Principes   Mathematiqucs  de  feu  J.  A.  Da  Cunha." 
Anyone  who  has  even  merely  heard  of  the  ^'■feu  Lord  INIaire  de 
Londres"    may  easily    guess,    without   much    knowledge    of 
French,  that  feu  here  means  late,   i.e.,  deceased.     The  com- 
piler of  this  Catalogue,  however,  did  not  attach  such  a  gloomy 
meaning   to    this  word  ;   but   philosophically  conceived    it  to 
signify  ^re,  as  is  evident  by  his  precaution  in  writing  it  with  a 
capital  F,  Feu  ;  and  by  substituting  the  word  Opuscules  for  the 
<;orrect  one,  Principes,  the  following  entry  was  made  : — 

"Da  Cunha  (J.  A.),  Opuscules  Mathematiqucs  dc  Feu, 
traduits  litteralement  du  Portugais,  par  J.  M.  D'  Abrcu.  8vo 
Bordeaux,  1811. 

The  idea  conveyed  to  a  Frenchman   by  this   title  would  not 
be  very  clear,  but  it  might  possibly  be  understood  that  this  is 


124  THE   LIFE    OF   SIR    ANTHONY    PANIZZI 

an  infamous  book,  deserving  to  be  burnt.  It  is  a  fortunate 
thing  iovfeu  Mr.  Da  Cunha,  that  this  libel  on  his  fair  name 
was  not  published  in  his  own  country  (ho  was  a  Portuguese) 
when  he  was  living,  and  when  the  fashion  was,  not  only  to 
burn  books,  but  authors  ;  else,  so  dangerous  an  insinuation  by 
the  Eoyal  Society  of  London  might  have  exposed  him  to  the 
chance  of  paying  dearly  for  their  blunders  and  bad  French. 

If  errors  of  so  ludicrous  a  nature  occur  in  the  first  sheet 
which  was  so  often  revised,  one  may  easily  conceive  in  what 
state  that  part  of  the  catalogue  was  which  was  set  up,  but  not 
corrected.  As  a  specimen  I  transcribe  three  entries  in  the 
last  slip,  containing  a  list  of  names  put  down  pelc-mele,  of 
works  said  to  be  mathematical. 

Litheosphorus,  sive  de  lapide  Bononlensi  lucem  in  se  con- 
ceptam  ab  ambiente  claro  mox  in  tenebris  mire  conseruante 
liber  Fortunii  Liceti  Genuensis  pridem  in  Pisano,  nuper  in 
Patauino,  nunc  in  Bononiensi  Archigymnasio  Philosophi 
eminentis.  4to.  Utlni,  1646. 

I  suspected  at  one  time,  that  the  error  arose  from  Litheos- 
pJiorus  being  mistaken  for  a  star,  and  no  attention  being  paid 
to  that  explanation  "  sive  de  Lapide  Bononiensi."  I  am  now 
satisfied  that  my  suspicion  was  unfounded,  and  that  the  blun- 
der is  gravely,  deliberately,  and  learnedly  perpetrated  ;  it  is 
not  to  be  attributed  to  the  mere  ignorance,  that  lapis  means  a 
a  stone,  not  a  star,  but  to  a  very  ingenious  process  of  reason 
ing,  by  which  phosphorus  was  metamorphosed  into  a  heavenly 
body. 

To  demonstrate  in  "as  correct  and  complete"  a  manner  "as  tlie 
circumstances  of  the  case  will  allow,"  I  beg  to  call  Your  Eoyal 
Highness's  attention  to  another  work  by  Liceti,  which  docs 
exist  in  the  library  of  the  Eoyal  Society,  and  which  was  cata- 
loo-ued  in  the  following  manner,  in  the  specimen  now  under 
consideration. 

Licetus  (Fort).  De  Luna?  sub  obscura,  luce  propc  Con- 
iunctiones  Libri  IIT.    4to.  Utini,  1641. 


THE    ROYAL   SOCIETY  125 

In  my  proofs  it  stands  thus  : 

Licetus    (Fortunius).     De    Lunte    subobscura,   luce   prope 
conjunctiones,  et  in  eclipsibus  observata.  4 to.   Utiiii,  1642. 

Youi'   Koyal   Highness  may  have    heard  of  the  Board  of 
Agriculture   having  sent  for    twelve  copies    of  Miss    Edge- 
AA  orth's  essay  on  Irish  Bulls,  for  the  use  of  that  Institution,  and 
this  ludicrous  mistake  was  thought  so  exquisite,  that  no  one 
would  have  fancied  it  could  possibly  be  equalled.     But  the 
attempt  at  cataloguing  drawn  up  by  some  learned  astronomers, 
the  ornament  and   pride  of    the  Eoyal  Society,  proves  that 
among  the  members  of  this  famous  Institution,  there  are  some 
who  could  leave  the  whole  Board  of  Agriculture  in  the  shade. 
The  work  on  ^star-fish,  mistaken  for  a  work   on  constellations ^ 
not  only  is   adorned  with  plates,  showing  that  it  treated  of 
aquatic  not  heavenhj  bodies,  but  on   the   very  title-page  there 
is   an  oval    engraving    representing    on    the   upper   lialf  the 
heavens  covered  with  stars,  and  the  lower  half,  the  sea  Avith 
star-Jisli;  with  the  motto,  sicut  supcrins  ita  est  inferius,  which 
was  taken  literally    by  the  acute    individual  who  made  this 
entry,   and  who  very  mathematically    argued   that  the  stars 
below,  must  belong  to  the  domain  of  astronomical  science,  if 
they  be,    as  the  author  declares,  like  those  above.       On  the 
recto  of  the  following  page  a  dedication  of  the  work  occurs  to 
Sir  Hans  Sloane,  as  President,  and  to  the  Fellows  of  the  Eoyal 
Society,  which  probably  was  either  passed  over  unread  by  the 
moeiest  fellow  who  catalogued  the  book ;  or  served  to  dazzle  his 
understanding  with  such  passages  as  this  :  "fulgent  sidera  in 
ccelis,  in  orbe  litterario  illustris  vestra  Societas.  Sideribus  inscrl- 
bere  Stellas  convenit."     But  how  could  any  |one  doubt  that  the 
work  was  astronomical,  when  the  writer  provokingly  begins  his 
preface  :  "  Coelorum  spectare  sidera  decetjuvatqueAstronomos." 
It  is  true  he  continues  :  "  Physicorum    interest  stellis  marlnis 
visum  intendere."     But  this  was  probably  taken  for  a  figura- 
tive speech  ;  and  with  that  bold  decision  by  which  great  men 
are  distinguished,  this  work  on  so  inferior  a  subject  as  star-fish, 
dedicated  to  the  Eoyal   Society,  was  by   the  elite  of  that  same 


126  THE    LIFE    OF   SIR    ANTHONY    PANIZZI 

body  declared  to  be  a  treatise  on  mucli  higher  bodies,  on  con- 
stellations, and  consequently  classed  among  astronomical  books, 
whilst  I,  thinking:  marine  stars  to  be  animals,  did  not  dare  to 
follow  an  example  so  splejulide  mendax,  and  classed  the  work 
among  others  on  zoolor/ical  subjects.  What  a  difference,  botli 
with  respect  to  the  length  of  the  title  and  the  classes  in  which 
it  was  entered  !  Linckius  would  rise  from  his  2;rave,  were 
he  to  see  mis-classed  a  work,  which,  as  he  said,  he  had 
dedicated  to  the  resplendent  constellations  forming  the  Royal 
Society  of  his  days,  just  because  it  treated  of  stars  !  How 
fortunate  that  the  learned  persons  who  are  to  render  my  Cata- 
logue correct  and  complete  have  it  still  in  their  power  to  ap- 
pease his  indignant  shade  by  re-classing  the  Avork  among 
astronomical  treatises  ! 

These  few  specimens  will  satisfy  any  one  of  the  justice  of 
my  assertion  that  it  was  impossible  to  correct  such  a  work.  I 
am  fully  aware  of  the  difHculties,  nay,  of  the  impossibility,  of 
compiling  any  catalogue  which  shall  be  free  from  errors  of  a 
very  grave  description.  No  work  requires  more  indulgence 
than  one  of  this  sort  ;  but  the  specimens  which  I  have  given 
are  such  as  cannot  admit  of  excuse  or  palliation  :  they  must  at 
•once  convince  the  most  indulgent  observer  that  those  who  com- 
mitted them  were  incapable,  utterly  incapable  of  performintr 
the  task  they  had  undertaken.  After  what  we  have  seen,  shall 
we  wonder  that  Newton's  Principia  should  be  misplaced  ?  We 
cannot  wonder  ;  but  by  Your  Royal  Highness,  who  has  the 
honour  to  fill  the  chair  once  occupied  by  that  immortal  man, 
and  by  those  Fellows  of  the  Royal  Society  who  are  not  un- 
worthy of  the  distinction,  something  like  sorrow  must  be  felt, 
Avhen  they  see  in  the  catalogue  of  their  Library  that  work  classed 
among  jmre  Mathematics,  as  if  Mechanics  had  nothing  to  dc 
with  it." 

How  amusing  are  some  of  Panizzi's  remarks,  and 
how  fully  do  they  evince  the  supreme  contempt  he 
must  have  felt  for  the  ignorance  displayed  in  the 
sheets,  which  were  submitted  for  his  correction.     It  is 


THE   EOYAL    SOCIETY  127 

impossible  not  to  liel^^  dwelling-  on  and  re-quoting  such 
a  sentence  as  this :  "  It  is  a  fortunate  thing  for  feu 
Mr.  Da  Cunha  that  this  libel  (the  utter  non-appreci- 
ation of  the  word  feu)  on  his  fair  name  was  not  pub- 
lished in  his  own  country  (he  Avas  a  Portuguese)  when 
he  was  living,  and  when  the  fashion  was  not  only  to 
burn  books,  but  authors."  This  must  have  been  a 
cutting  but  amusing  hint  for  His  Eoyal  Highness, 
and  then  we  perceive  the  manly  tone  of  Panizzi  when 
he  added  :  "  So  dangerous  an  insinuation  by  the  Royal 
Society  of  London  might  have  exposed  him  to  the 
chance  of  paying  dearly  for  their  blunders  and  bad 
French." 

In  October,  1833,  the  New  Catalogue,  entrusted  to 
Panizzi  w^as  commenced;  not,  however,  left  to  his 
own  discretion,  for  cahined.,  crihhed,  confined^  he 
was  called  on  to  follow  a  plan,  concocted  by  the 
Library  Committee,  of  which  he  mcidentaUy  remarks  : 
''  Heaven  forbid  that  I  should  ever  le  supimsed  guilty  of 
hamng  ai^jjroved  of  it,  or  he  susjjccted  capahle  of 
selecting  such  a  plan,  had  I  been  at  liberty  to  execute 
the  work  as  I ])leased.  I  agreed  to  carry  their  j^lan 
into  execution  on  my  own  resjwnsibility." 

The  agreement  entered  into  with  the  Council  of  the 
Society  was  only  a  verbal  one,  and,  by  its  terms,  the 
compiler  of  the  Catalogue  was  to  be  paid  according 
to  the  number  of  titles  written,  and  at  certain  stages 
of  his  labour,  the  first  instalment  when  the  whole  of 
the  titles  were  written,  the  second  when  they  were 
ready  for  the  printer,  and  the  third  when  the  book 
was  completed.  This  agreement  or  contract  was  never 
reduced  to  writing.     Panizzi,  it  may    be,  was    inex- 


128  THE    LIFE    OP   SIR   ANTHONY    PANIZZI. 

perienced  in  a  business  point  of  view,  but  it  is  more 
probable  that  he  placed  implicit  confidence  in  the 
understanding  with  the  Council,  through  the  Chair- 
man Mr.  Lubbock. 

As  the  work  progressed,  however,  the  members  of 
the  Library  Committee  appear  to  have  conceived  that 
they  had  a  right  to  interfere  with  the  execution  of  the 
work.  The  compiler  firmly  resisted  this,  and  it  was 
ultimately  conceded  that  any  proposals  of  the  Com- 
mittee were  to  be  regarded  merely  as  suggestions. 

In  the  course  of  a  year  Panizzi,  having  nearly  com- 
pleted the  writing  of  the  titles  on  slips  of  paper, 
applied  for  the  first  instalment  of  the  remuneration  in 
proportion  to  the  number  he  had  written. 

AVhat  must  have  been  his  mortification  to  find  that 
the  Council  would  not  accept  his  computation,  but 
referred  his  account  to  an  underling,  in  consequence 
of  whose  report  they  reduced  the  demand  by  one-third. 

The  consequent  offer  was  rejected,  and  Panizzi's 
claim  afterwards  admitted  by  payment  of  the  full 
amount. 

A  similar  difficulty  or  objection  arose  about  the 
second  instalment,  due  in  July,  1835  ;  when,  after  the 
Council  had  voted  but  one  half  the  amount,  they  ulti- 
mately granted  the  other,  and  the  whole  was  paid. 

When  matters  had  progressed  to  the  final  stage,  the 
revision  of  the  printer's  work  for  press,  Panizzi  had 
again  occasion  to  complain  of  the  interference  of  the 
Catalogue  Committee,  and  of  insufficient  access  to 
the  books. 

The  Council  hereupon  took  the  opinion  of  certain 
then   well-kno^vn  bibliographers,   which  was  unani- 


THE   ROYAL   SOCIETY  129 

mously  in  favour  of  the  compiler,  nevertheless  it  was 
resolved  "  that  Fanizzi  be  ow  longer  emjjlof/ed  in  the 
formation  of  the  Catalogue.''' 

The  Council  had  only  paid  a  portion  of  the  value 
of  the  work  in  its  possession,  had  refused  arbitration, 
and  by  their  summary  resolution  thought  to  escape 
further  liability. 

Not  so  thought  Panizzi.  He  maintained  his  claim, 
and  the  matter,  after  narrowly  escaping  the  interven- 
tion of  the  law,  was  settled  satisfactorily  through  the 
good  offices  of  friends. 

The  summing  u])  of  his  case,  as  expressed  by  him- 
self, in  concluding  his  letter  to  the  Duke  of  Sussex, 
is  worthy  of  reproduction  here. 

"  It  would  be  an  empty  boast  were  I  to  say  that  tlie  pecuniary 
loss  which  I  must  needs  submit  to  is  indiilerent  to  me.  It  is 
no  such  thing;  yet  I  can  conscientiously  say,  that  I  should 
never  have  taken  the  trouble  of  writing  on  this  subject,  had  the 
pecuniary  loss  been  the  only  consequence  of  the  conduct  of  the 
Council  towards  me.  But,  after  the  observations  made  by  Your 
Eoyal  Highness,  were  I  to  submit  without  stating  the  whole 
truth,  I  might  be  suspected  guilty  either  of  unwillingness  or  in- 
capability of  fulfilling  my  contract,  and  that  I  could  not  brook. 
I  have  ofFeredover  and  over  again  to  the  Council,  throufjli  the 
secretaries,  to  refer  our  disputes  to  any  two  competent  judges  ; 
the  consciousness  of  their  being  in  the  wrong  has  made  the 
Council  shrink  from  this  fair  proposal.  I  can  and  will  do  no 
more.  If,  however,  Your  Ro3'al  Highness  considers  it  no  more 
than  due  to  the  character  of  the  Royal  Society,  that  the  trans- 
actions between  the  Council  and  myself  should  be  thoroughly 
and  openly  investigated,  I  will  readily  and  cheerfully  submit 
them  to  the  consideration  of  a  tribunal  so  constituted.  If,  on 
the  contrary,  Your  Eoynl  Highness  be  advised  that  no 
further  steps  need  be  taken  in  the  matter,  I  shall  have  my  own 


130  THE  LIFE    OF    SIR    ANTIIO^'Y  PANIZZI 

opinion  of  the  conduct  of  the  Council,  and  of  the  Society  at 
large,  as  well  as  the  Public,  will  be  at  liberty  to  form  their  own. 
They  will  perceive  that  a  contract  was  entered  into  between 
tlie  Council  of  the  Royal  Society  and  myself  for  the  perform- 
ance of  a  literary  work :  That  the  Council  broke  the  terms  of 
that  contract:  That  they  refused  to  state  by  what  right  they 
did  so :  That  they  would  never  answer  my  proposals  of  refer- 
ring to  arbitration  any  point  in  which  they  thought  I  did  not 
act  in  accordance  with  our  agreement :  That,  after  the  rudest 
and  most  uncourteous  proceeding,  they  stooped  to  having  clan- 
destine access  to  private  drawers  containing  the  proofs  of  what 
they  owe  to  me,  and  have  now  the  meanness  not  to  pay  their 
debt,  which,  by  their  dishonest  proceedings  they  are  aware  it 
is  out  of  my  power  legally  to  claim." 

Thus  thwarted  and  impeded  at  every  step,  Panizzi 
at  last  succeeded  in  once  again  proving  thai'  right  can 
contend  successfully  with  might ;  and  though  years 
have  elapsed  since  this  unseemly  treatment  at  the 
hands  of  a  great  and  learned  Society  took  place,  it  is 
well  that  the  occurrence  should  not  pass  into  oblivion, 
as  it  forms  a  conclusive  proof  of  the  determined  astute- 
ness of  the  man,  of  his  endurance  of  character,  and  of 
his  abiUty  to  judge  of  the  weak  points  of  his  adver- 
saries, a  foretaste  of  his  prowess  in  many  a  subsequent, 
struo-^le  in  his  oft-times  arduous  career. 

Panizzi's  dealings  with  the  Royal  Society  having 
been  thus  satisfactorily  disposed  of,  it  will  now  be 
necessary  to  return  to  the  more  matter-of-fact  conduct 
of  this  remarkably  persevering  man  in  his  every-day 
efforts  to  attain  that  position  which  he  held  steadily 
in   view — efforts   which   were   finally  crovrned   with 

success. 

At  this  time  it  was  not  an  unusual  thing,  and 
especially  during  the  absence  of  the  Keeper,  for  him 


THE     ROYAL    SOCIETY  131 

to  spend  some  of  his  holidays,  and  evenings  after 
official  hours,  in  the  Library ;  and  it  is  a  Avcll-known 
fact  that  in  the  winter,  when  the  Museum  closed 
early,  he  remained  at  his  post  working  by  candle-light, 
which,  however,  was  put  a  stop  to  on  account  of  the 
alleged  possible  danger  of  the  practice. 

About  three  years  after  his  appointment,  Paniz'zi 
was,  in  a  report  Avritten  April  2Gth,  1834,  proposed 
by  Mr.  Baber  to  direct  the  General  Catalogue  then 
contemplated,  Mr.  Baber  s  scheme  of  Cataloguing  the 
books  in  the  Library  not  having  been  adopted.  Panizzi 
and  other  of  his  colleagues  were  desired  to  prepare 
titles  for  a  noAV  Catalogue.  It  appeared,  by  the  end 
of  the  year  (1834),  that  he  had  written  a  larger 
quantity  of  titles  than  any  two  of  the  other  gentlemen, 
which  assiduity  gained  for  him  the  approbation  of  the 
Trustees.  Panizzi's  own  words  before  a  Royal  Com- 
mission on  the  20 til  of  May,  1818,  were  in  these 
terms : — 

"In  1835,  without  my  knowing  anything  about  it,  the 
Trustees  found,  from  a  retain  laid  before  them  in  the  month  of 
January,  that  I  had  been  so  fortunate  as  to  do  my  duty  Avell, 
and  in  a  manner  that  satisfied  them.  Mr.  Baber  was  called  in 
(I  know  this  from  himself),  and  he  was  asked,  I  believe,  if  I 
recollect  right,  by  the  Bishop  of  London  (Dr.  Blomfield)  how 
it  was  that  I  had  done  so  remarkably  well;  and  as  there  was  an 
election  going  on,  I  remember  the  expression  used  (as  Mr. 
Baber  reported  to  me)  was,  that  I  was  'at  the  head  of  the  poll' 
Mr.  Baber  told  me,  tli:it  he  had  the  goodness  to  answer  that  I 
was  there,  and  that  I  would  keep  there.  That  led  the  Trustees 
to  consider  how  I  was  remunerated,  and  they  found  that  my 
remuneration  was  much  lower  than  that  of  other  people." 

In  consequence  of  this  the  adequacy  of  the  remune- 
ration in  question  was,  on  the  lUlh  of  January,  1835, 
K 


132  THE    LIFE    OF   SIR   -\NTIIOXY    PANIZZI 

referred  to  the  Sub-Committee  of  Finance  for  their  con- 
sideration ;  but  at  this  meeting  nothing  material  was 
resolved  on,  except  that  the  claim  was  admitted,  and 
the  matter  considered  worthy  of  further  deliberation. 
Sir  R.  H.  Inglis  was  added  to  the  Finance  Committee 
for  this  purpose ;  but  in  June  of  the  same  year  a 
meeting  took  place,  with  Lord  Farnborough  in  the 
chair,  when  the  following  resolution  was  passed : — 

"  That  it  is  the  unanimous  opinion  of  the  Sub-Committee  that 
it  would  be  desirable  for  the  Trustees  to  mark,  by  an  increased 
remuneration  to  Mr.  Panizzl  to  the  amount  of  £75  a  year,  that 
making  up  the  sum  that  he  would  receive  if  he  were  an 
Assistant  Librarian,  their  sense  of  Mr.  Panizzi's  vakie  to  the 
Miiseum,  and  also  of  the  particular  service  which,  by  his  zeal 
and  knowledojc,  he  has  rendered  in  an  eminent  de2;rce  to  the 
advancement  of  the  new  Catalogue  of  the  Printed  Books." 

The  members  present,  beside  the  Chairman,  were 
the  Marquis  of  Lansdowne,  Lord  Ashburton,  and  the 
Right  Hon.  Thomas  Grenville. 

Llere,  therefore,  was  strong  admission  of  the  inade- 
quacy of  Panizzi's  remuneration  at  the  time,  and  strong 
special  reasons  wero  advanced  to  support  that  admis- 
sion, as  well  as  the  proposal  for  a  more  adequate 
salary. 

It  was  necessary  for  this  resolution  to  be  submitted 
to  the  General  Meeting  on  July  11th,  1835.  Another 
minute  was  then  passed  openly  against  the  principle 
affirmed  six  months  previously ;   it  ran  : — 

"  The  Trustees,  having  taken  into  their  consideration  the 
Report  of  the  Sub-Committee  of  June  20th,  although  entirely 
concurring  in  the  opinion  expressed  by  the  Sub-Committee  as 
to  the  zeal  and  abiUty  with  which  j\Ir.  Panizzi  has  discharged 
the  duties  of  his  oflice,  and  desirous  of  evincing  the  sence  which 
they  entertain  of  his  services  to  the  Museum,  yet  feel  them- 


PROMOTION  133 

■selves  to  be  precluded,  by  the  general  principles  upon  which 
the  scale  of  remuneration  to  officers  in  similar  stations  and  with 
the  same  degrees  of  responsibility  must  of  necessity  be  framed, 
from  adopting  a  rate  of  payment  to  Mr.  Panizzi  differing  from 
that  which  is  fixed  for  the  office  which  he  at  present  holds  in 
the  Museum." 

It  might  be  interesting  to  inquire  into  the 
motives  of  the  Committee,  in  taking  the  ade- 
quacy of  the  remuneration  in  question  into  their 
consideration.  "Was  the  concession  made  to  the  office 
or  to  the  man  who  held  it  1  But  we  need  not  pursue 
this. 

The  minute  of  the  General  Meeting  produced 
tin  unprecedented  event.  Mr.  Grenville,  one  of 
the  Committee  present,  when  he  saw  what  was 
taking  place,  rose,  left  the  room,  and  never  attended 
a  meeting  of  the  Trustees  again.  The  increase 
was  not  granted.  To  preserve  the  correctness  of  our 
chronology,  it  is  necessary  to  reserve  an  account  of 
Mr.  Grenville  till  much  later  on.  It  is  fair  to  state 
that  Lord  Lansdowne  and  Lord  Ashburton  were  not 
present  on  this  occasion ;  but  the  Board  considered  it 
necessary  to  instruct  the  Secretary  (then  Mr.  J.  Forshall) 
to  forward  to  Mr.  Grenville  a  copy  of  the  minute 
which  he  sent  to  Panizzi,  with  the  following  note  :— 

**  I  do  not  lose  a  moment  in  transmitting  to  you,  for  your 
own  custody,  the  minute  made  by  the  Trustees  :  it  is  at  least 
an  honourable  testimony  of  the  sense  which  they  entertain  of 
the  value  of  your  services  in  the  British  Museum,  and  as  such 
I  send  you  the  original  minute  as  1  received  it,  and  I  beg  you 
to  keep  it. — Yours,  &c„  &c.,  T.  Grenville." 

In  March,  1837,  the  Keeper,  Mr.  Baber,  gave 
notice  that  he  intended   to  resign  his    post  at  mid- 


134  THE    LIFE    OP    SIR   ANTHONY    PANIZZI 

summer.  Mr.  Gary,  the  celebrated  translator  of 
Dante,  who  was  then  an  Assistant-Librarian,  would 
have  been  the  natural  successor ;  but  on  account  of 
his  infirmities  the  Principal  Trustees  raised  an  objec- 
tion to  such  an  appointment. 

Now  it  is  of  great  importance  to  us  that  these  state- 
ments should  be  made  known,  for  much  controversy^ 
angry  discussion,  amounting  to  personal  vituperation, 
and  many  letters  ensued  on  the  appointment  of 
Panizzi  as  Keei^er  of  the  Printed  Books,  which,  not- 
withstanding, took  place  on  the  15th  of  July  of  the 
same  year. 

Meetings  were  held  against  the  ^^  Foreigner ;"  and 
one  of  the  speakers  made  an  open  statement  that 
Panizzi  had  been  seen  in  the  streets  of  London  selling 
white  mice:  had  it  been  a  few  years  later,  possibly 
the  distinctive  title  of  organ-grinder  would  have  been 
added.  The  infirmities  of  Mr.  Gary  were  well  knoAvn^ 
and  Panizzi,  out  of  regard  and  in  fairness  to  him, 
never  asked  for  the  place,  nor  took  any  decided  step 
for  the  purpose  of  obtaining  it.  On  the  loth  of 
March,  1837,  he  addressed  a  letter  to  the  Archbishop 
of  Ganterbury  and  the  other  Principal  Trustees, 
soliciting  in  general  terms  that  if  any  appointment 
was  to  take  place  they  would  bear  his  past  services  in 
mind. 

The  letter  was  to  the  following  effect : — 

"  British  Museum,  March  13,  1837. 
*'My  Lord  Archbishop, 

It  is  reported,  that,  in  consequence  of  the  new 
arrano-ements  which  are  going  to  be  introduced  into  this  estab- 
lishment, some  vacancies  are  likely  to  occur  in  the  offices  of 


CARY  135 

the  several  departments.  Having  been  so  fortunate  as  to  be 
honoured  with  the  approbation  of  the  Trustees  for  (as  tliey 
were  pleased,  to  say  in  July,  1835),  '  the  zeal  and  ability '  with 
whicli  I  have  (daring  a  period  of  nearly  six  years),  discharged 
the  duties  of  the  office  which  I  now  hold  in  the  British  Museum, 
I  venture  to  beg  of  your  Grace,  and  the  other  Principal 
Trustees,  to  keep  my  humble  services  in  view  should  any  place 
become  vacant  for  which  I  should  be  deemed  qualilied.  I  take 
the  liberty  of  appealing  to  my  past  as  an  earnest  of  my  future 
conduct,  should  the  Principal  Trustees  deem  it  expedient  to 
promote  me  to  any  higher  situation  than  that  which  I  now 
hold,  and  in  wliich  I  miglit  humbly  but  warmly  second  the 
views  and  wishes  of  the  Trustees  i-i  extending  the  public 
utility  of  this  Institution. 

In  the  hope  that  this  application  may  receive  the  favour- 
able consideration  of  your  Grrace  and  the  other  Principal 
Trustees, 

I  have  the  honour  to  be,  &c., 

A.  Panizzi." 

The  letters  to  the  Lord  Chancellor  and  Speaker 
were  m  the  same  terms. 

It  was  a  common  opmion  that  Mr.  Gary  had  been 
ill-treated  and  passed  over  m  favour  of  Panizzi.  How- 
ever, Samuel  Rogers,  the  poet,  a  friend  of  Gary's, 
after  having  strongly  recommended  the  latter, 
thought  that,  considering  his  ill-health  it  would 
scarcely  be  acting  fairly  to  the  Principal  Trustees,  or 
to  the  public  to  press  his  claims.  Mr.  Gary  saw  the 
Speaker,  who,  in  the  course  of  conversation,  said  :  "  I 
heard  of  a  Mr.  Panizzi,  who  is  next :  What  do  you 
know  of  him  ■?  "  What  Gary's  answer  was  is  not 
knoAvn  ;  but  it  is  certain  that,  when  the  post  was 
declared  vacant,  the  gentleman  went  to  the  Arch- 
bishop of  Canterbury  on  the  24th  of  June,  1837,  and 


136  THE    LIFE   OF   SIR   ANTHONY   PANIZZI 

again  solicited  the  appointment,  which,  as  might  have- 
been  expected,  was  withheld.  Panizzi,  having  heard 
of  it  directly  from  Gary,  asked,  in  the  presence  of 
Mr.  Baber,  whether  he  would  object  to  his  applying 
for  it,  when  he  answered,  ''^N'ot  at  ally  There  and 
then  Panizzi  sat  down  and  wrote  this  letter  to  the 
Archbishop : — 

"My  Lord  Arciroisliop, 

Since  I  had  the  honour  of  arldressing  your  Grace,  Mr. 
Baber  has  resigned  tlie  Keepership  of  the  Frhited  Books  \n 
this  establishment.  I  hope  your  Grace  will  not  deem  it  pre- 
sumptuous in  me,  to  beg  respectfully  of  your  Grace  and  the 
other  Principal  Trustees  to  take  my  case  into  consideration, 
should  they  think  it  requisite  to  depart  from  the  usual 
system  of  regular  promotion,  on  appoindng  his  successor.  I 
venture  to  say  this  much,  having  been  informed  by  Mr.  Gary 
of  the  conversation  he  has  had  the  honour  to  have  the  morning 
before  last  with  your  Grace,  and  beg  to  subscribe  myself  with 
the  greatest  respect,  &c.,  &c.  A.  Panizzi." 

No  sooner  was  the  promotion  made  known  than 
the  controversy  began.  It  ivas  a  j^iece  of  favouritism 
to  a  Foreifpier,  and  an  injustice  to  Mr.  Gary. 

As  to  the  first  point,  Panizzi  was  at  the  time  per- 
sonally unkno^\al  to  the  Principal  Trustees.  Of  this 
there  was  sufficient  evidence. 

There  was  am]3le  precedent  for  the  appointment  of 
a  Foreigner,  and,  if  so,  objections  could  not  be  made,, 
especially  to  a  naturalized  Foreigner,  and  there  was 
plenty  of  time  for  a  better  qualified  person  to  come 
forward,  as  quite  four  months  elapsed  between 
Mr.  Baber's  announced  resignation  and  the  appoint- 
ment of  a  successor.  If  there  was  a  semblance  of 
injustice,  it  was  because  the  claims  of  an  individual 


cary'b  letter  137 

had  been  postponed  to  the  necessities  of  the  Institu- 
tion. 

Mr.  Gary  then  thought  fit  to  write  the  following 
letter  to  the  Lord  Chancellor  Cottenham,  which 
was  published  in  the  "Times"  of  July  ISth,  1837, 

'•  The  following  letter  has  been  sent  to  the  Lord 
Chancellor  by  the  Rev.  H.  F.  Cary,  the  Translator  of 
Dante,  who  seems  to  have  been  treated  with  extra- 
ordinary injustice : — 

*  British  Museum,  July  17, 
'My  Lord, 

I  cannot  suffer  the  communication  yesterday  made  to 
me  by  our  Secretary,  of  your  having  passed  me  by  in  the 
nomination  to  tlie  vacant  office  of  Librarian,  and  appointed  a 
subordinate  Officer  over  my  head,  to  reach  me  without  an  im- 
mediate remonstrance  against  this  disposal  of  your  patronage. 
I  have  for  the  course  of  eleven  years  been  constant  in  the  dis- 
charnfe  of  irksome  duties  in  this  establishment  ;  and  at  a 
moment  when  I  was  told  to  expect  the  rc\vard  never  yet  denied 
in  this  place  to  such  claims,  I  find  it  snatched  from  me  by 
yourself  and  tlie  Speaker  of  the  House  of  Commons,  in  the  face 
of  a  recommendaticn  from  the  other  Principal  Trustee,  the 
Arclibisliop  of  Canterbury,  the  only  one  of  the  three  who  has 
been  in  the  habit  of  attendinrj  here,  and  makinfr  liimself 
acquainted  with  our  proceedings.  My  repeated  requests  for  a 
personal  interview  with  your  Lordship  were  met  by  refusal, 
and  a  desire  to  communicate  whatever  I  had  to  say  by  letter* 
Three  letters  which  I  addressed  to  you  were  met  by  silence. 
In  the  last  of  these  letters  I  endeavoured  to  answer  the  objec- 
tions which  the  Archbishop  with  his  usual  humanity  and 
CH)nsideration  for  the  humblest  of  those  who  have  any  claim  on 
Lis  attention,  had  apprised  mc  of,  as  existing  on  the  part  of  the 
other  Trustees.  The  objections  were  my  age  and  the  general 
state  of  my  hcaltli.  ]My  age,  between  64  and  Go  years,  it  was 
plain,  might  rather  ask  for  me  that  alleviation  of  labour  which. 


138  THE    LIFE    Oi'^    SIR   ANTHONY    FANIZZI 

in  this  as  in  many  other  public  ofliccs  Is  gained  by  promotion 
to  a  superior  place,  than  call  for  a  continuance  of  the  same 
laborious  employment-  Mjr  health  for  the  last  four  years  has 
been  such  as  to  allow  me,  with  the  interval  of  one  fortnight 
only,  to  attend  closely  through  every  day  to  the  business  of  my 
department.  Before  that  time  (and  it  was  the  only  other  in- 
stance of  ill-health  since  1  have  been  here)  I  had  a  severe  ill- 
ness, occasioned  by  domestic  affliction,  on  account  of  which  I 
Avas  permitted  to  pass  six  months  on  the  Continent,  and  even 
that  time  was  not  wholly  lost  to  the  Museum,  as  I  availed  my- 
self of  the  opportunity  to  inquire  into  the  state  and  man- 
agement of  the  public  Libraries  in  most  of  the  principal 
cities  in  Italy,  where  chiefly  my  time  was  spent.  Lest 
however,  I  should  deceive  myself  as  to  the  present  state  of 
my  health,  I  thouglit  it  right  to  consult  three  medical  men 
who  best  know  the  ailments  I  have  been  subject  to.  Their 
opinions  I  immediately  laid  before  the  Archbishop,  and  copies 
of  them  before  yourself  and  the  Speaker.  They  were  unani- 
mous us  to  my  fitness  in  point  of  health  for  the  place  I  solicited. 
On  their  testimonies  and  on  his  own  previous  knowledge  of  my 
character  and  services,  the  Archbishop  was  pleased  to  declare 
his  determination  to  appoint  me,  with  the  understanding  that 
if  at  any  future  time  infirmity  should  render  me  unfit  for  my 
trust,  I  should  reslLrn. 

You,  my  Lord,  and  the  Speaker,  have  refused  to  concur  in 
the  appointment,  and  have  placed  my  subordinate  officer,  Mr. 
Panizzi,  a  Foreigner,  who  has  been  here  some  years  less  than 
myself,  over  me,  and  at  the  head  of  our  national  library. 

Being  convinced  that  when  the  nomination  to  offices  in  the 
British  Museum  was  intrusted  by  the  country  to  men  them- 
selves holding  high  offices  in  the  State,  It  was  on  the  implied 
condition  that  they  would  either  acquit  themselves  of  their 
duty  by  an  attention  to  its  internal  management,  or  abstain 
from'  active  interference  if  they  were  conscious  of  havinfT 
given  no  such  attention.  I  feel  that  I  owe  it  not  merely  to 
myself,  but  to  my  fellow-countrymen,  to   protest  against  your 


IIALLAM 


139 


present  decision,  to  call  publicly  for  an  inquiry  into  the  mode 
in  which  my  duty  in  the  Museum  has  been  performed,  and 
into  the  particulars  of  what  I  have  done,  which  may  be  as- 
certained by  means  of  our  monthly  reports,  and  to  demand  for 
what  reason  a  person  in  an  inferior  station  has  been  preferred 
to  me,  in  opposition  to  the  only  one  of  the  three  nominators 
who  regularly  inspects  the  minutes  of  the  establishment,  and  is 
at  all  likely  to  have  an  intimate  and  accurate  knowledge  of  its 
concerns,  and  to  be  capable  of  forming  a  just  judgment  con- 


cerning them. 


I  am,  &c., 


H.  F.  Gary. 


J^S^^ 


In  justification  of  Panizzi,  Hallam's  opinion  of  his 

fitness  for  the  post  is  given  : — 

"  Wimpole  Street,  July  6,  1S37' 
My  dear  Sir, 

You  first  mentioned  to  me,  about 
two  months  since,  the  prospect  of 
attainino-  a  hi^rher  station  in  tlic 
Museum,  in  consequence  of  Mr. 
Baber's  resignation,  and  seemed 
rather  desirous  of  testimonies  to 
your  literary  and  genei'al  character. 
The  closer  connection  I  have  since 
had  with  the  Museum  does  not,  I 
tliink,  make  it  improper  for  me  to 
say  what  I  would  then  readily  have 
said  had  it  appeared  to  me  as  re- 
quisite at  that  time;  but  you  are, 
of  course,  perfectly  aware  that  I  am  only  to  be  considered  as  a 
private  person,  who  has  had  frequent  opportunities  of  seeing 
you  in  the  Library.  In  the  many  conversations  on  literary 
subjects  we  have  had  together,  both  there  and  on  other  occa- 
sions, I  have  been  struck  with  your  extensive  and  very  ready 
knowledfje  of  books,  which  has  several  times  been  of  much 
service  to  myself.     Your  zeal  and  activity  in  the  Department 


140  THE    LIFE    OF    SIR  ANTHONY   PANIZZl 

are  so  generally  acknowledged  that  no  testimony  of  mine  can 
be  of  mucli  additional  value,  and  the  many  private  friends  you 
possess,  among  whom  T  reckon  not  a  few  of  my  own,  bear 
sufficient  witness  to  the  sincerity  and  integrity  of  your 
character. 

I  am,  &c., 

Henry  ITallam." 

Panizzi  then  wrote  to  the  Archbishop  : — 

"  British  Museum,  Jidy  19,  1837. 
"  I  have  just  been  informed  by  INIr.  Forshall  that  your  Graco 
has  been    pleased    to  concur   in    my  appointment  of  Under- 
Librarian,  and   I    must  beg   your  Grace  to  accept   my  most 
sincere  and  respectful  thanks  for  so  much  kindness. 

Your  Grace  will  allow  ine  to  add  that  it  will  be  the  height 
of  my  ambition  to  show  myself  not  unworthy  of  the  honourable 
trust  reposed  on  me,  by  a  zealous  discharge  of  the  arduous  duties- 
of  my  olfice  to  the  utmost  of  my  humble  powers. 

I  have,  &c., 

A.  Panizzi." 

A  fortnight  had  scarcely  elapsed  when  a  question 
arose  on  the  subject  of  an  ofhcial  residence,  and  this 
hivolved  a  lengthy  correspondence  between  Panizzi,. 
the  Secretary  (the  Rev,  J.  Forshall),  and  Sir  F, 
Madden.  The  latter — who,  from  the  outset,  appears 
to  have  regarded  his  colleague  in  an  inimical  spirit 
(and  no  doubt  the  feeling  was  reciprocal) — evinced  the 
greatest  eagerness  to  take  possession  of  a  certain  one 
of  the  lodgings  which  accompanied  the  appointments. 

Further  details  would  weary  the  reader ;  it  will, 
therefore,  be  only  necessary  to  state  that  Panizzi  was 
unsuccessful  on  this  occasion  in  obtaining  the  house 
to  which,  according  to  his  own  account,  he  was 
entitled. 


OFFICIAL    KESIDENUE.  141 

The  following  letter,  however,  is  worthy  ol  perusal 
as  a  specimen  of  his  persuasive  and  straightforward 
arguniv-^nt  in  the  matter : — 

"  British  Museum,  July  25th,  1837. 

I  should  not  trouble  you  again  with  respect  to  the  question 
now  pending  before  the  Trustees,  as  to  the  apartments  to  be 
assigned  to  Sir  Frederick  Madden  and  myself,  did  it  not  seem 
to  me  that  the  point  of  seniority  is  the  one  which  will  probably 
influence  their  determination.  I  am  well  aware  that  the 
Trustees  are  not  bound  to  assign  the  best  apartments  to  the 
Senior  Under-Librarian;  but  should  they  be  pleased  to  make 
seniority  the  ground  of  their  decision,  it  is  important  that  they 
should  have  clearly  before  them  focts  and  dates. 

Mr.  Baber  resicned  on  the  24th  of  last   June,  and  had  his 
successor  been  immediately  appointed  he  might  have  been  in- 
stalled in  his  office,  and  have  had  apartments  assigned  to  him 
before  you  had  vacated  the  office  to  which    Sir  Frederick  has 
been  promoted.    The  appointment  of  the  successor  to  Mr.  Baber, 
although  made  after  your  place  had   become  vacant,  preceded, 
nevertheless,  that  of  your  successor;  and  it  seems  to  me  that, 
however  short  the  interval  between   the  two  nominations,  he 
who   was  last  elected  cannot  be  senior  Vvdth  respect  to  th& 
other.      The  circumstance   of  Sir  Frederick  bavins:  been  an 
officer  of  this  house  for  a  longer  period,  appears  not  to  affect  the 
case,  since  the  point  is  as  to   the  seniority  of  the  two   Under- 
Librarians  as  such.     I   believe  in  the  army  or  navy  the  poin.^ 
would  not  bear  discussion.     Mr.  Baber  had  been  in  this  house 
before  Mr.  Konig,  and  to  give  Mr.  Baber  seniority  over  Mr.  Konig 
on  their  both  being  promoted  at  the  same  time,  the  appointment 
of  the  former  gentleman  was  purposely  dated  earlier  than  that 
of  the  latter,  and  then  no  one  doubted  Mr.  Baber's  seniority. 
It  was  not   thought  seniority  would  be  given  by   the  former 
services   of  Mr.  Baber,  or  else  both  appointments  might  havo 
been  dated  the  same  day,  when  they  were  actually  agreed  upon, 
by  the  Principal  Trustees. 

Yours,  &c,,  &c.,  A.  Panizzi. 
The  Rev.  Jos^-  Forshall. 


CHAPTER  V 


Sir  Hennj  Ellis ;  P'irli'nnentary  Committee,  1835-fi;  Ki'ip  rship  ; 
Removal  of  the  Library  from  Montague  House;  Tcmiorary 
Assistants;  Catalo'iue  ;  Garnett ;  Winter  Jonns  ;  IVatt-^ ;  [''vry  ; 
Additions  and  Deficiencies  1838  ;    Annual  Grant. 

LLUSION  has  already  been  made  to 
Sir  Henry  Ellis,  who  was,  at  the  time 
of  which  we  write,  Principal  Librarian, 
having  held  this  appointment  since 
the  20th  of  December,  1827.  In  the 
year  18UU,  Mr.  Ellis  had 
entered  the  service  of  the 
British  Musenm  as  a  Tem- 
porary Assistant;  and  Mr. 
Edwards,  in  his  work  en- 
titled "  Lives  of  the  Fonn- 
ders  of  the  British  Museum,'' 
observes  that  "  had  it  never 
fallen  to  tlie  lot  of  Henry 
Ellis  to  render  to  the  public 
any  service  at  all,  in  the 
w^ay  of  administering  and 
improving  the  National  Mu- 
seum," he  would  still  have  earned  an  honourable 
niche  in  our  literary  history.     His  contributions  to 


Sm    HENRY    ELLIS  14:3 

literature  are,  indeed,  very  unequal  in  their  character. 
Some  of  them  are  fragmentary ;  some  might  be 
thought  trivial.  But  very  many  of  them  have  sterling 
value." 

He  died  at  the  age  of  92,  on  the  15  th  of  January, 
1869,  having  retired  in  18 50. 

Between  Panizzi  and  Sir  Henry  Ellis  there  was  no 
reciprocal  feeling  of  friendship  ;  indeed,  at  times,  the 
former  expressed  himself  so  strongly  that  we  prefer 
not  to  reproduce  his  remarks.  The  first  apparently 
inimical  act  was  Panizzi's  decided  objection  to  Sir 
Henry's  Printed  Catalogue  of  the  Museum  Library ; 
and  we  learn  from  a  report,  drawn  up  by  Ellis,  on 
the  30th  April,  1834,  and  which  Panizzi  delighted  in 
cutting  up,  that  as  soon  as  he  (Ellis)  was  placed  at 
the  head  of  the  Printed  Books  Department,  in  18  OG, 
and  Mr.  Baber  advanced  to  the  post  of  Assistant- 
Keeper,  the  preparation  of  a  new  Alphabetical  Cata- 
logue of  the  Library  was  ordered  by  the  T]*ustees,  and 
the  work  undertaken  by  the  two  Librarians  jointly. 
The  former  was  answerable  for  the  letters  A  to  F, 
with  P,  Q,  and  R,  and  the  latter  for  the  remaining 
letters.  It  may  be  considered  a  bold  statement,  yet, 
this  report,  instead  of  containing  a  correct  account  of 
the  whole  undertaking,  was  full,  from  beginning  to 
end,  of  the  most  inexact  assertions  :  and  these  are 
clearly  pointed  out  by  Panizzi,  in  the  shape  of  mar- 
ginal notes  ;  he,  indeed,  seemed  most  constant  in  his 
great  delight  of  finding  faults  in  the  Printed  Catalogue 
itself.  On  one  occasion,  whilst  in  search  of  a  book, 
he  came  suddenly  on  an  entry  of  a  French  translation 
of  one  of  Jeremy  Bentham's   works,   in  which   the 


144  THE    LIFE   OP   SIR   ANTHONY    PANIZZI 

author's  name,  having  been  translated  in  the  title- 
page  of  the  book  into  French,  was  transferred  in  the 
same  form  "  Bentham  (Jerome)  "  into  the  Catalogue. 
Panizzi's  comment  on  the  entry  was  :  "  In  ])ro])ria 
mnit,  et  sui  eum  non  receperunt"  a  verse  in  the  first 
chapter  of  St.  John,  from  the  Vulgate,  which  he  may, 
probably,  have  learnt  when  a  boy,  acting  as  a  server 
-at  mass,  under  his  master  the  Abbate  Fratuzzi ;  it  is 
equally  probable  that  he  Imew  it  in  no  other  form. 
The  sentence  is  an  exact  translation  from  the  Greel.- 

^i9  TO.  i'Sio^  n-jXOe  /cat  ol  iSioi,  avjov  ov  nrapeXalSov. 

But  the  Eno-lish  version  is  not  so;  ''He  came  unto  his 
^wn,  and  his  oion  received  him  not."  Mr.  Major,  the 
present  Keeper  of  Maps,  in  the  British  Museum,  was 
at  the  time  sitting  in  the  same  room  with  Panizzi, 
and  seeing  him  point  out  the  mistake  committed 
by  Sir  Henry  Ellis,  in  order  to  court  enquiry  ex- 
claimed :  "  How  do  you  account.  Sir,  for  the  words 
^'  in  propria  "  being  used  instead  of  "  ad  suos,"  which 
might  have  been  the  version,  had  the  English  trans- 
lation, the  only  one  with  which  he  was  then  ac- 
quainted been  correct.  Panizzi  was  amazed  at  the 
question,  and  turning  round  to  his  friend,  exclaimed, 
"  Goodness,  he  knows  all  about  it,  I  had  never  noticed 
the  difference."  It  is,  however,  a  pleasure  to  reflect 
that  no  very  serious  results  accrued  from  these  dis- 
putes between  the  antagonists,  and  this  is  to  be  attri- 
buted to  the  circumstance  that  both  were  true 
gentlemen,  in  the  strict  sense  of  the  word,  and  both 
men  of  education. 

Whatever  differences  they  may  have  had,  they  con- 
trolled their  feelings,  and  reined  in  their  animosities, 


SIR     HENRY    ELLIS 


145 


guided  by  the  polished  hand  of   education,  which,  as 
was  instilled  into  our  minds,  in  our  schoolboy  days, 

"  Emollit  mores  nee  sinit  esse  feros." 
The  whole  case  affords  a  fair  example  of  the  influence 
of  gentle  blood  and  good  breeding,  as  opposed  to  that 
grossness  of  ignorance,  the  sure  tendency  of  which  is 
to  cause  forgetfulness  of  our  better  nature,  delivering 
us  bound  into  the  power  of  unbridled  passion,  and 
forcin"-  the  most  trivial  disas^reements  to  issue  in 
petty  spite  and  ill-feeling.  Conduct  unworthy  of  a 
o-entleman  was  the  last  thino'  that  would  be  found  on 
either  side  in  the  case  of  Panizzi  v.  Ellis. 

It  is  devoutly  to  be  -wished  that  this  would  happen 
on  every  occasion  where  two  men  opposed  in  views 
meet ;  but  it  has  been  our  lot  to  see  a  very  different 
state  of  affairs,  where  the  disputants  were  unequally 
matched  on  the  intrinsic  points  of  education  and 
breeding. 

But  before  dismissing  the  subject  of  quarrels  (if 
such  a  term  is  applicable  to  the  jealousies  and  mis- 
understandings of  educated  men),  we  must  refer  to  the 
strong  antagonistic  feeling  evinced  towards  him, 
whom,  in  very  bad  taste,  his  colleague,  Sir  F.  Madden, 
was  wont  to  dub  the  '■^  Foreigner ;''  whilst  necessity 
only  compels  the  production  of  some  evidence  of  this, 
and  makes  us  acknowledge  our  reluctance  at  laying- 
such  matters  before  our  readers  : — 

"  Sir, — I  received  yesterday  a  communication  signed  "  F. 
Madden,"  aping  all  the  forms  of  a  diplomatic  note,  without  any 
of  its  courtesy.  I  forcbore  noticing  the  omission,  too  pointed 
to  be  misunderstood,  in  a  former  note  of  yours.  I  am  now 
driven  to  notice  it,  lest  my  forbearance  be  mistaken  for  weak- 


146  THE    LIFE    OF    SIR   ANTHONY    PANIZZI 

ncss.  If  you  think  you  have  reason  to  be  displeased  with  my 
conduct,  I  shall  be  ready  to  account  for  it  whenever  you  make 
up  your  mind  to  ask  me  in  a  direct  and  proper  manner  to  do 
so.  This  I  hope  you  will  not  shrink  from  doing,  else  it  will 
be  evident  that,  although  chary  of  asking  an  explanation,  and 
thereby  incurring  some  responsibility,  you  chose  the  shelter  of 
ofTicial  communication  to  depart  safehj  under  it  fi'om  those 
forms  which  I  suppose  you  are  aware  the  usages  of  society 
prescribe  among  gentlemen.  Such  communications  will  in 
future  be  returned.  If,  however,  you  will  address  me  in  the 
manner  which  I  have  a  right  to  expect,  your  communication 
shall  be  duly  attended  to. 

Yours,  &c.,  &c.,  A.  Panizzf. 

Sir  F.  Madden,  &c.,  &c.,  &c." 

Many  other  disagreements — amonnting  by  the  ani- 
mosity evmced,  to  something  worthy  of  a  worse  name 
— we  gloss  over.  Mention  must,  however,  be  made  of 
the  Hev.  Josiah  Forshall,  Keeper  of  the  MSS.,  after- 
wards Secretary,  with  whom  Panizzi  more  than  once 
came  into  collision. 

Let  us  now  leave  this  unj)Ieasant  topic,  and  proceed 
to  an  account  of  the  Select  Committee  on  the  British 
Museum — more  generally  known  as  the  Parliamentary 
Commission  of  1835-36 — which  forms  a  turning  point 
in  the  history  of  our  Museum — not  so  much  on 
account  of  anything  actually  effected  by  it,  as  from 
its  marking  the  era  when  the  national  character  of 
the  Institution,  and  its  mission  as  an  instrument  of  the 
national  culture,  Avere  first  clearly  recognised  and 
defined.  They  would,  indeed,  have  been  professedly 
acknowledged  at  any  period  of  its  history  ;  but  the 
circumstances  under  which  the  establishment  orio-i- 

o 

nated,  and  the  manner  m  which  it  was  managed  and 


THE    BRITISH   MUSEUM  147 

supported,  had  invari-ably  tended  to  impress  upon  it  a 
private  and  exclusive  character.  By  the  public  it  was 
principally  regarded  as  a  show  of  curiosities,  differing 
from  the  Zoological  Gardens  in  the  same  degree  as 
inanimate  differ  from  living  things.  The  literary  and 
scientific  world  recosfuised  its  value  for  students  and 
amateurs,  but  had  little  conception  of  its  function  as 
<i  great  educational  agency.  It  could  scarcely  have 
been  otherwise.  Sir  Hans  Sloane's  munificent  be- 
quest had  bestowed  upon  the  public  of  his  day  that 
which  it  had  neither  demanded  nor  required.  The 
measure  of  its  immediate  utility  may  be  estimated  by 
the  regulation  that  it  should  be  inspected  by  parties 
<^  not  more  than  fourteen  at  one  timc^  and  always 
accompanied  by  an  official. 

Panizzi's  part  in  the  Committee  of  18 35-3 G  was  not 
prominent,  though  of  considerable  importance  as 
respected  his  peculiar  Department.  The  investiga- 
tion, nevertheless,  brought  into  the  clearest  relief  the 
three  great  ideas  with  which  he  entered  upon  his 
official  duties,  and  which,  though  acknowledged  in 
principle,  he  was  left  almost  alone  to  maintain  and 
enforce,  until  they  eventually  became  the  accepted 
principles  of  the  Museum,  thereby  occasioning  a  total 
metamorphosis  in  the  spirit  of  the  Institution,  while 
its  administrative  constitution  remained  mialtered. 
These  ideas  may  be  thus  defined  : — 

/.  TJie  Mtiseiim  is  not  a  show,  hut  an  Institution 
for  the  diffusion  of  culture. 

II.  It  is  a  Department  of  the  Civil  Service,  and 
shouid  be  conducted  in  the  sjjirit  of  other  pullio 
Uejjartmcnts. 

L 


148  THE    LIFE    OF   SIR   ANTHONY    PANIZZI 

///.  It  should  be  managed  ivith  the  utmost  ^possihle 
UheraUty, 

It  may  not  be  irrelevant  if  we  attempt  to  show  how 
these  points  had  been  understood  before  Panizzi's 
time. 

In  a  Minute  dated  February  27,  1809,  Sir  Joseph 
Banks  defined  a  Museum  for  exhibition  as  "  a  col- 
lection framed  for  the  purpose  of  administering- 
instruction  in  the  form  of  amusement,  and  thus- 
endeavouring  to  awake  latent  curiosity."  He,  there- 
fore, concluded  that  not  only  the  anatomical  paintings 
in  the  custody  of  the  Trustees  should  be  transferred 
to  the  College  of  Surgeons,  but  the  Osteological  Col- 
lection also.  He  further  thought  that  the  specimens 
preserved  in  spirits,  when  not  capable  of  bein^-  stuffed,, 
should  also  be  transferred  to  the  same  place,  more' 
particularly  as  "  the  room  where  they  are  kept  must 
unavoidably  smell  strongly  of  spirits,"  and  "  they  are 
very  frequently  designated  by  the  opprobrious  appel- 
lation of  hobgoblins."  It  was  clearly  the  view  of 
this  representative  of  science  upon  the  Board  that  the 
Museum  had  no  business  with  anything  unadapted  for 
public  exhibition. 

With  respect  to  the  second  point,  it  is  certainly  no- 
reproach  to  the  governing  body,  or  the  officers  of  the 
Museum,  that  at  the  period  of  its  establishment  very 
little  work  should  have  been  required  from  the  latter. 
This  ensued  almost  as  a  matter  of  necessity  from  the 
fact  that  the  Museum  was  no  national  foundation, 
planned  with  systematic  forethought,  but  a  mere  lucky 
windfall.  Enough  was  done  if  its  safe  custody  was 
ensured;  the  extension  it  was  capable  of  receiving, 


THE   BRITISH    MUSEUM  14& 

entered  into  nobody's  mind.  The  inevitable  con- 
sequence was  that,  while  the  standard  of  knowledge 
ciud  accomplishments  among  officers  of  the  Museum 
has  at  all  times  been  high,  the  standard  of  official 
efficiency  was  in  its  first  days  very  low.  So  late  as 
1837  an  honourable  and  respected  officer  could,  with- 
out conscious  absurdity,  urge  as  a  plea  for  promotion 
that  he  would  thereby  have  less  to  do. 

A  conclusive  criterion  of  the  primitive  conception 
of  an  officer's  duty  may  be  found  in  a  Minute  of  June 
21,  1759 — the  year  of  the  opening  of  the  British 
Museum : — 

"  The  Committee  think  proper  to  add  that  the  re- 
quiring the  attendance  of  the  officers  during  the  whole 
six  hours  that  the  Museum  is  kept  open  is  not  a 
ivanton  or  useless  ixiece  of  severity,  as  the  two  vacant 
hours  (if  it  is  not  thought  too  great  a  burden  upon 
the  officers)  might  very  usefully  be  employed  by 
them  in  better  ranging  the  several  collections, 
especially  in  the  Department  of  Manuscripts,  and 
preparing  Catalogues  for  ^publication,  which  last  the 
Committee  think  so  necessary  a  work  that  till  it  is 
performed  the  several  collections  can  be  but  imper- 
fectly useful  to  the  public." 

In  point  of  fact,  these  ''^  Librarians"  weve  ^'ciceroni." 
In  1802,  after  forty-three  years,  three  attendants  were 
appointed  to  relieve  the  "  Under  and  Assistant 
Librarians  from  the  daily  duty  of  showing  the 
Museum,"  and  their  salaries  were  advanced.  But  it 
does  not  appear,  says  the  report  of  1807,  "  that  the 
Under  or  Assistant-Librarians  received  any  particular 
injunctions  to  execute  the  several  duties  proposed  for 

l2 


150  THE    LIFE    OF    SIR   ANTHOXY    PANIZZI 

them,  nor  does  it  appear  by  their  subsequent  conduct 
that  they  understood  themselves  to  be  under  any 
specific  obligation  to  do  any  specific  duties  of  that  de- 
scription." "  So  that,"  continues  the  report,  "  the 
public  has  been,  and  is,  at  an  annual  expense  of  above 
£2,000  a  year  for  the  mere  purpose  of  showing  the 
house  to  strangers,  and  providing  an  attendant  upon 
the  Reading  Room."  This  discovery  led  to  consider- 
able reform  ;  the  Trustees,  very  naturally,  "  feeling 
strong  apprehensions  that  the  munificence  of  Parlia- 
ment should  be  checked,  if  it  should  think  fit  to  in- 
quire into  the  nature  and  extent  of  the  duties  now 
executed  by  the  officers  of  the  Museum." 

Matters  were  much  improved  by  1835 ;  but  the 
or2:anisation  of  the  Institution  still  bore  evident  traces 
of  its  origin  in  private  liberality,  and  of  the  miscon- 
ceptions which  had  so  long  prevailed  as  to  its 
functions. 

It  was  the  constant  endeavour  of  Panizzi  to  divest 
it  of  everything  indicating  affinity  with  private  insti- 
tutions, and  to  impress  it  more  and  more  with  the 
unique  character  of  a  national  emporium  of  the  world's 
treasures. 

The  third  point  which  generally  characterised 
Panizzi's  administration  was  one  to  which  the  atten- 
tion of  the  Committee  of  1835-36  was  vigorously 
directed,  and  in  reference  to  which  it  was  of  consider- 
able service.  The  regulations  for  the  admission  of  the 
public  were  illiberal.  Visitors  were  excluded  at  the 
very  times  when  they  had  most  leisure  to  attend  ;  but 
when,  as  Sir  Plenry  Ellis  remarked,  "  the  most  mis- 
chievous  jjccrt  of  the  ^ojJiilation  was  abroad"  and  in 


THE   BRITISH   MUSEUM  151 

holiday  weeks  the  Museum  should  be  closed,  '•  Iccause 
the  jplacG  otherwise  would  really  become  unwholesome" 
The  Committee,  however,  came  to  a  different  conclu- 
sion, and  admitting  that  reforms  were  necessary,  de- 
cided that  the  Museum  was  to  cease  to  be  a  private 
establishment.  But  the  immediate  cause  of  the  Com- 
mission in  question  was  the  unreasonable  complaint  of 
a  discharged  servant,  a  Mr.  John  Millard,  employed 
for  some  time  as  supernumerary  in  the  Department  of 
MSS.,  who  had  lost  his  situation  through  inefficiency. 
He  possessed,  it  was  said,  some  influence  with  Lord 
Brougliam,  and  Mr.,  afterwards  Sir  Benjamin  Hawes, 
M.P.  for  Lambeth,  was  induced  to  take  up  his  case, 
and  obtain  its  investigation  under  cover  of  a  general 
inquiry  into  the  administration  of  the  Museum.  The 
Committee,  as  at  first  appointed,  March  27,  1835,  was 
inconveniently  numerous,  and  when  re-appointed  in 
tlie  following  session  its  numbers  were  considerably 
curtailed.  Mr.  Hawes,  a  man  of  no  great  refinement, 
but  of  thorough  business  capacity,  and  an  excellent 
specimen  of  the  not  unfrequent  type  of  popular  M.P., 
who  begins  as  a  patriot  and  ends  as  a  placeman,  repre- 
sented t'le  reforming  element,  together  with  Dr. 
Bowring  and  some  other  members  of  a  similar  stamp, 
who  mostly  disappeared  after  the  first  session.  Lord 
Stanley  (the  late  Lord  Derby)  and  Sir  Robert  Inglis 
represented  the  interests  of  the  Trustees.  Sir  Philip 
Egerton,  Mr.  Ridley  Colborne,  and  Mr.  Bingham 
Baring  were  also  amongst  the  most  prominent  members, 
Mr.  Sotheron  Estcourt  being  chairman. 

The  administrative  organisation  of  the  Museum  at 
the  time  was  certainly  better  calculated  to  invite  in- 


152  THE    LIFE    OF    SIR   A^'TIIONY    PANIZZI 

quiry  than  to  sustain  it.  The  offices  of  the  Principal 
Librarian  and  Secretary,  instead  of  being  united,  as  at 
present — and  of  which  more  hereafter — were  divided, 
witli  very  mischievous  consequences  as  regarded  the 
authority  of  the  former  officer,  and  attended  by  all 
the  evils  of  divided  responsibility.  Sir  H.  Ellis  was 
an  excellent  antiquary  and  a  most  kind-hearted  man, 
but  could  never,  under  any  circumstances,  have  been 
more  than  the  nominal  head  of  the  Museum. 

The  Secretary  was,  as  has  already  been  remarked, 
the  Rev.  Josiah  Forshall,  and  the  government  of  the 
Museum  was  in  his  hands.  By  a  most  preposterous 
regulation,  while  the  inferior  officer,  the  Secretary, 
always  attended  the  meetings  of  the  Trustees,  the  Prin- 
cipal Librarian  was  never  present  unless  summoned. 
Mr.  Forshall  enjoyed  the  fullest  confidence  of  the 
Archbishop  of  Canterbury,  in  whose  hands,  by  a  tacit 
understanding  which  had  become  traditional,  almost 
all  administrative  arrangements  were  left  by  the  Prin- 
cipal Trustees.  He  was  entirely  opposed  to  all  inno- 
vation tending  to  impart  a  more  popular  character  to 
the  Institution ;  and  was,  in  fine,  as  thoroughly  the 
representative  of  the  j)rinciples  on  which  the  Museum 
had  hitherto  been  administered  as  Panizziwas  of  those 
destined  to  supersede  them. 

Mr.  Millard,  the  trivial  cause  of  the  Committee's 
great  effect,  did  not  occupy  much  of  its  attention.  It 
appeared  that  he  had  been  removed  for  two  causes, 
either  of  which  was  in  itself  sufficient  to  justify  the 
act :  he  was  incompetent,  and  his  services  had  been 
dispensed  with.  The  inferior  work  on  M'hich  he  had 
been  engaged  was  discontinued ;  he  was  fit  for  nothing 


THE   BRITISH   MUSEUM  153 

else.  He  had  been  treated  with  great  and,  indeed, 
with  immoderate  indulgence,  having  been  allowed  to 
remain  two  years  after  his  virtual  dismissal,  in  order 
"  to  give  him  an  opportunity  of  finding  another  situa- 
tion." His  case,  it  appeared,  had  kept  the  amiable 
Principal  Librarian  awake  all  night ;  the  Keeper  of 
MSS.  himself,  strangely  enough,  had  given  him  a  tes- 
timonial to  the  Windham  Club.  His  patron  endea- 
voured to  prove  his  efficiency  ;  but  on  July  2nd  Sir 
Frederick  Madden,  then  Assistant-Keeper  of  the  MSS. 
came  down  "  ivith  some  instances  of  Mr.  JlillarcTs 
mistakes,  and  some  questions  which  I  should  lilce  to 
put  him''  For  some  sufficient  reason  the  instances 
were  not  adduced,  the  questions  were  not  put,  and  no 
more  was  heard  of  Mr.  Millard.  He  had,  however, 
made  an  outlet  for  the  long  accumulating  dissatisfac- 
tion with  the  Museum  management,  and  the  Com- 
mittee found  themselves  arbiters  in  contentions 
affecting  every  Department  in  the  Institution,  Tliey 
had  to  digest  Mr.  Forshall's  opinion  that  "  men  pro- 
fessionalbj  engaged  in  literary  and  scientific  pursuits  " 
were  unfit  for  the  office  of  Trustee;  and  to  reconcile 
Sir  Henry  Ellis's  statement  that  literary  and  scientific 
men  looked  up  to  a  Trusteeship  as  the  blue  ribbon  of 
their  calling,  with  his  admission  that  not  one  of  them 
had  ever  obtained  it.  They  had  to  enquire  whetlier 
Sir  Henry  had  made  an  adequate  examination  of  the 
Baron  de  Joursanvault's  manuscripts,  magnanimously 
offered  by  that  nobleman  to  the  English  nation  for 
100,000  francs  and  permission  to  import  500  pipes  of 
Eeaune  wine  duty  free.  If  he  had  not  done  so,  was  it 
because   the  coUeclion  was   shelved  so  high  that  Sir 


15-1  THE    LIFE   OF  SIR   ANTHONY   PANIZZI 

Henry  cciilcl  not  get  at  itwitliout  a  ladder,  and  was  it 
really  a  fact  that  no  ladder  coiiLl  be  found  in  the 
whole  town  of  Pomard  ■?  Was  it  true,  as  asserted  by 
the  Edinlurcjh  Beview,  that  cases  of  birds  had  been 
transferred  to  the  College  of  Surgeons  and  subsequently 
repurchased  by  the  Museum?  Or  was  Sir  Henry 
Ellis's  conjecture  admissible  that  certain  green  glass 
bottles,  of  which  the  transfer  was  acknowledged,  might 
have  been  large  enough  and  dirty  enough  to  have  been 
mistaken  by  the  person  who  wrote  that  review  "  for 
packing  cases'?"  How  much  of  the  Saurian  collec- 
tion bought  from  Mr.  T.  Hawkins  was  plaster  l  Was 
the  Keeper  of  Geology  justified  in  affirming  that  "  the 
principal  ichthyosaurus  could  not  be  exhibited  with- 
out derogation  from  the  character  of  the  British 
Museum,"  and  that  if  it  were  treated  as  it  deserved 
"  the  whole  tail  would  disaj^tpear  ?" 

Had  the  College  of  Surgeons  been  obliged  to  spend 
£1,000  on  Zoological  Literature,  in  consequence  of 
the  deficiencies  of  the  British  Museum  Library  ? 

It  was  admitted  that  the  Museum  possessed  a  fine 
collection  oi  ^'^ Megatherium,  Ch alic other ium,  Anthroco- 
therium,  A7ioplotherium,  and  Sus  dihtviamis'"  in  plaster; 
but  did  it  possess  genuine  fragments  of  any  of  these 
extinct  quadrupeds  I  To  be  straightforward,  were  the 
"  saurian  and  chelonian  reptiles  "  in  a  confused  and 
nameless  state  ■?  Would  the  "  intelligent  visitor " 
have  naturally  expected  to  find  "  the  limited  space 
available  for  exhibition  filled  with  twenty-eight  cats 
placed  together?  Had  the  larger  mammalia  been 
mostly  devoured  by  insects,  with  the  exception  of  the 
llama's  mouth,   which  had   happily   withstood   their 


THE    BRITISH    MUSEUM  155' 

ravages  from  consisting  of  plaster  of  Paris  1  The 
brunt  of  the  assault,  it  will  be  seen,  was  borne  by  the 
Zoological  Department,  whose  comparatively  starved 
and  nesflected  condition  rendered  it  a  convenient  basis 
for  attacks  upon  the  general  condition  of  the  Museum, 
the  assailing  party  being  well  versed  in  the  axiom  of 
fortification — that  a  fortress  is  no  stronger  than  its 
weakest  point. 

The  Printed  Book  Department,  the  battle-ground  of 
subsequent  years,  attracted  comparatively  little  at- 
tention at  the  time.  The  public  had  not  yet  dis- 
covered the  value,  either  actual  or  potential,  of  such 
a  collection.  The  ideal  of  what  a  National  Library 
should  be  as  yet  only  existed  in  Panizzi's  head.  The 
general  standard  was  exceedingly  low,  nor  could  this 
be  a  matter  of  surprise,  when,  as  he  himself  pointed 
out,  the  Museum  Library,  after  all,  contained  40,000 
more  volumes  than  any  library  in  the  modern  world,, 
previous  to  the  French  Revolution. 

With  all  the  drawbacks  of  the  Institution,  its 
management  was  liberality  itself,  compared  to  that 
of  even  so  splendid  a  library  as  the  one  at  Vienna,  with 
its  accommodation  for  45  readers,  bringing  their  own 
pens  and  paper. 

The  acknowledged  defects  of  the  Museum  Library, 
in  some  degree,  served  to  screen  its  unacknowledged 
failings,  for  the  Catalogue  was  so  much  behind  hand 
that  it  was  difficult  to  be  certain  whether  any  specified 
volume  was  to  be  found  there  or  not.  One  important 
accession  had  been  obtai-ned,  the  English  newspapers 
were  now  regularly  deposited  in  the  Library,  and  it 
was  to  this  that  the  recent  increase  of  readers  was- 


15G  THE    LIFE   OF   SIR   ANTHONY   PANIZZI 

principally  attributable.  A  late  Trustee,  Mr.  Henry- 
Banks,  had  been  an  incubus  on  the  establishment, 
"  It  was  extremely  difficult  to  get  any  assent  in  his 
part  to  any  purchase  that  was  of  any  amount."  Mr. 
Baber  had  now  more  of  his  own  way,  yet  Mdien 
asked,  "  Is  there  that  general  consultation  and  cordial 
intercourse  which  is  satisfactory  to  you  as  head  of 
your  Department  ? "  he  answered,  "  Certamly  notT 
His  evidence  related,  in  great  measure,  to  the  project 
for  a  new  Catalogue,  which  had  hitherto  attracted 
but  little  attention  outside  the  Museum.  Mr. 
Hawes  did  his  utmost  to  extort  an  admission  that  a 
Classed  Catalogue  would  be  desirable ;  but  Mr. 
Baber,  an  experienced  bibliographer,  maintained 
firmly  that  such  a  Catalogue  by  itself  was  a  delusion. 
The  alphabetical  arrangement  was  the  only  safe  one  : 
an  index  of  subjects,  however,  might  be  a  valuable  ap- 
pendage to  such  a  Catalogue.  It  was  the  one  fault 
of  Mr.  Baber's  evidence  and  of  Panizzi's  that  neither 
of  them  said  how  invaluable.  They  were  probably 
afraid  of  countenancing  the  mischievous  agitation  for 
a  Classed  Catalogue  pure  and  simple,  knowing  that 
years  had  already  been  wasted  over  an  impracticable 
plan  of  their  colleague,  the  Rev.  T.  H.  Home. 
Panizzi  evidently  felt  much  embarrassed  between 
loyalty  to  his  chief,  allegiance  to  the  Trustees,  and 
his  o-wn  strong  sense  of  the  deficiencies  of  the  Library. 
His  evidence,  under  such  circumstances,  was  a  model 
of  tact  and  discretion.  He  implied  rather  than  as- 
serted, and  his  testimony  gains  greatly  in  cogency 
when  read  in  the  light  of  the  reforms  subsequently 
effected  by  himself. 


THE    BRITISH   MUSEUM  157 

In  the  question  of  classed  and  alphabetical  Cata- 
logues, Panizzi  supported  his  chief,  and  took  care  to 
acquaint  the  Committee,  how  much  the  latter,  and 
the  Library,  had  been  damaged  by  the  compulsory 
withdrawal  of  Mr.  Baber's  first  plan  for  a  Catalogue 
in  favour  of  an  alternative  and  inferior  scheme.  It 
was  not  difficult  to  discover  that  Panizzi  was  by  no 
means  satisfied  with  the  administration  of  the  Museum 
as  it  stood ;  at  the  same  time  he  came  to  the  assist- 
ance of  the  Trustees  on  a  subject  which  had  led  to 
much  criticism,  by  pointing  out  the  importance  of 
having  men  of  rank  and  influence  upon  the  Board, 
as  well  as  men  merely  distinguished  by  literary  and 
scientific  eminence.  Not  his  least  important  contribu- 
tion to  the  proceedings  of  the  Committee  was  the 
mass  of  information  with  respect  to  foreign  Libraries 
and  Educational  Institutions,  published  in  the  ap- 
pendices to  its  report,  and  mainly  collected,  directly 
or  indirectly,  by  himself,  either  personally  or  from 
trustworthy  witnesses,  during  his  travels  on  the 
continent.  These  papers  embody  a  vast  amount  of 
curious  and  interesting  information  from  Vienna  and 
Gottingen  down  to  San-Luis  Potosi,  where  "  se  frata 
■de  j)oner  una  lihlloteca,  y  un  miiseo,  ^Jcro  aim  no  se 
'cerijicay 

The  report  of  the  Committee  was  issued  on  July  14th, 
1836. 

It  was  not  an  elaborate  document,  and  contained 
no  reasons  for  its  recommendations,  most  of  which 
were  of  a  sensible  and  obvious  kind.  The  deficiencies 
and  disarrangements  of  the  Collections  were  attributed 
with  perfect  justice  to   the  inadequacy  of  the  funds 


158  THE  LIFE  OP    SIR   ANTHONY   PANIZZI 

and  insufficiency  of  sjDace.  It  was  suggested  that  those 
Trustees  whose  attendance  was  infrequent  and  uncer- 
tain should  receive  a  hint  to  retire,  and  that  "  for  the 
future  "  literary  and  scientific  distinction  sliould  con- 
stitute a  ground  of  election  for  the  Trust. 

Many  were  the  reforms  adopted,  to  the  great  advan- 
tage of  the  Institution.  The  principal  benefit  of  the 
Commission,  nevertheless,  consisted  in  the  distinct 
recognition  for  the  first  time  of  the  national  and 
educational  character  of  the  Museum. 

These  observations  must,  however,  be  relinquished, 
interesting  as  they  are,  or  we  might  be  wandering  on 
far  beyond  reasonable  limits. 

More  might  be  said,  and  perhaps  advantageously, 
on  these  seemingly  unimportant  subjects — yet,  oh ! 
how  important  to  prove  the  steady  progress  of  the 
Museum,  and  that  in  no  small  degree  owing  to- 
Panizzi's  energy — but,  as  already  said,  we  must  re- 
strain ourselves ;  and  having  subjects  of  intrinsic 
interest  for  the  earnest  peruser  of  this  book  to  discuss, 
our  inclination  must  be  foregone. 

When  Panizzi  entered  upon  his  new  office  as  Keeper, 
he  was  fully  alive  to  the  important  duties  whicli  de- 
volved upon  him,  and  was  well  aware  of  the  arduous 
and  extraordinary  task  which  he  was  called  on  to  per- 
form simultaneously  with  the  ordinary  business  of  the 
Department ;  he,  therefore,  resolved  to  keep  the  whole 
under  his  own  immediate  superintendence  so  far  as 
was  compatible  with  the  regulations  and  wishes  of  the 
authorities. 

The  Trustees  having,  in  1837,  provided  means  for 
removing  the  Library  of  Printed  Books  from  Montague- 


TEMPORARY   ASSISTANTS  159 

House  to  the  new  building  on  the  north  side  of  the 
Quadrangle,  it  was  necessary  to  appoint  a  separate 
staff  of  assistants,  and  these  were  known  as  "  tem- 
])orary  assistants." 

The  operation  of  moving  this  mass  of  books,  begun 
on  the  1st  of  January,  1 838,  was  successfully  performed 
by  efficient  subordinates ;  but  the  labour  and  fore- 
thought required  for  the  proper  re-arrangement  of  the 
volumes  and  the  alteration  of  the  press-marks  and  re- 
ferences in  the  catalogues  were  such  as  can  only  be 
fully  appreciated  by  those  who  have  had  some 
experience  in  similar  undertakings. 

At  this  time  the  collection  consisted  of  about 
160,000  volumes,  exclusive  of  the  Royal  Library.  On 
Panizzi  was  thrown,  in  addition  to  his  other  duties, 
the  responsibility  of  suggesting,  examining,  and 
criticising  every  single  article  of  furniture,  fittings, 
&c.,  which  the  Library  itself  and  the  Reading  Room 
required.  The  style  of  these,  as  well  as  the  con- 
trivances then  adopted  in  the  Department  of  Printed 
Books,  were  subsequently,  so  far  as  possible,  copied  in 
other  Departments  of  the  Museum,  having  been  found 
equally  economical  and  useful.  The  Trustees,  under 
these  circumstances,  offered  to  find  a  person  who 
should  undertake  the  superintendence  of  the  Cata- 
logue— an  outlay  which,  however,  they  were  not  called 
on  to  incur,  Panizzi  having  twice  declined  the  prof- 
fered assistance.  The  opinion  of  the  Trustees  and  that 
of  Panizzi,  however,  in  regard  to  the  amount  of  the 
work  necessarily  to  be  carried  out  without  delay  will 
be  best  gathered  from  the  two  following  letters  • — 


160  THE    LIFE    OF   SIR   AXTIIOXY    PANIZZI 

The  Rev.  J.  Forshall  to  Panizzi,  December  27,  1838. 

"Your  letter  of  the  IStli  instant  leads  me,  upon  readinf'-  it 
attentively,  to  explain  to  you  that  the  Trustees  did  not  intend, 
in  the  communication  to  which  your  letter  is  a  reply,  to  require 
from  you  to  undertake  the  printing  of  the  New  Alphabetical 
Catalogue.  They  wished  to  ascertain  whether,  with  the 
other  duties  which  fall  to  your  oflice,  you  felt  that  you  could 
promise  that  vigorous  and  constant  attention  to  the  Catalogue 
wliich  seems  necessary  to  ensure  the  proper  execution  of  the 
work.  If  you  had  felt  that  you  could  not,  the  Trustees  would 
in  that  case  have  endeavoured  to  obtain  other  superintendence. 
The  titles  of  the  books  in  the  King's  Library  are  to  be  incor- 
porated with  the  others." 

Panizzi  to  the  Rev.  J.  Forshall,  January  1,   1839; 

"  In  answer  to  your  letter  of  the  27th  of  last  month,  and  in 
addition  to  mine  of  the  18th,  I  beg  to  repeat  that  I  am  willino- 
to  undertake  the  duties  mentioned  in  your  letter  of  the  17th^ 
and  to  endeavour  to  perform  them  to  the  best  of  my  powers. 
I  promise  to  give  to  the  superintendence  of  the  Catalof^ue  all 
the  attention  of  which  I  am  capable ;  but  it  is  not  for  me  to 
say  whether  it  will  ensure  the  proper  execution  of  the  work. 
I  feel  it  due  to  the  Trustees,  to  the  situation  I  have  the  honour 
of  holding,  and  to  my  own  character,  not  to  shrink  from  the 
attempt." 

The  removal  of  the  books  having  been  proceeded 
with  for  six  months,  it  was  found  on  the  23rd  of  June, 
that  the  collection  contained,  in  round  numbers. 
165,000  volumes,  of  which  450  were  extra  folios,  15,000 
folios,  23,000  4tos.,  126,000  Svos.,  &c.,  &c.  Up  to  that 
day  47,000  volumes  had  been  removed  to  the  new 
Library,  and  placed  on  the  shelves  destined  for  their 
reception,  and  at  the  end  of  1839,  about  12,000  more 
volumes  remained  still  in  Montague  House. 

A  singular  feature  in  the  carrying  out  of  this 
laborious  task,  was  that  no  interruj)tion  of  the  supply 


EFFICIENT   STAFF  161 

of  books  to  the  readers  took  place.  When  Piinizzi 
informed  the  Trustees  of  his  intentions,  the  Bishop  of 
London  happening  to  be  in  the  Committee  Room,  ex- 
claimed, "  It  is  imimssihle"  There  is  probably  no 
precedent  for  this  display  of  energy,  and  the  magni- 
tude of  the  attempt  can  only  be  appreciated  by  per- 
sons conversant  with  the  daily  use  made  of  a  Public 
Library  by  students,  whose  pursuits  would  have  been 
totally  interrupted  had  the  method  adopted  absolutely 
required  the  closing  of  the  Reading  Room.  The  at- 
tempt was  successful,  and  the  works  asked  for  by 
readers  were  generally  forthcoming,  excepting  those 
actually  in  the  course  of  removal  and  rearrangement, 
amounting  at  no  time,  on  an  average,  to  more  than 
8,000  volumes,  or  about  five  per  cent,  of  the  whole 
Library. 

Mention  has  been  made  of  the  "  efficient  staff,'' 
this  was  composed  of  the  following  gentlemen:  — 
The  Reverend  Richard  Garnett,  Mr.  John  AVinter 
Jones,  Mr.  Edward  Edwards,  Mr.  W.  Brenchley  Rye, 
Mr.  George  Bullcn,  and  last  but  not  least,  the  late 
Sergeant  Par^y. 

The  Rev.  R.  Garnett  was  appointed  Assistant- 
Keeper  of  the  Printed  Books,  vice  Gary,  in  1838. 
He  was  an  excellent  scholar,  thoroughly  versed  in 
German,  Italian,  French,  and  Spanish  ;  had  a  good 
knowledge  of  Anglo-Saxon,  and  was  conversant  with 
several  oriental  languages.  This  gentleman  died  on 
the  27tli  of  September,  1850,  the  sad  event  being 
announced  to  Panizzi  by  Mr.  John  Ridout,  Panizzi's 
and  Garnett's  medical  attendant.  This  coincidence 
deserves  notice,  for  in  reality  it  relates  indirectly  to 


162  THE    LIFE    OF   SIR   ANTHONY    PANIZZI 

the  appointment  of  Mr.  Richard  Garnett,  the  present 
Superintendent  of  the  Reading  Room,  so  well-known 
to  all  its  frequenters.* 

Panizzi  wrote  thus  to  Mr.  Ridout : — 

"  September  27tli,  1850, 

"Dear  Sir, 

I  was  certainly  prepared  for  the  melancholy  tidings 
brought  by  your  note  ;  1  am,  nevertheless,  shocked  at  seeing 
it.  I  did  promise  I  would  do  what  I  could  for  Mr.  Garnett's 
eldest  boy,  and  shall  keep  my  promise,  and  not  without  con- 
fident hope  of  success. 

When  I  saw  him  last  Tuesday,  Mr.  Garnett  requested  me 
to  receive  his  salary  (£100,  due  to-morrow)  and  pay  it  to  his 
bankers,  he  signing  the  receipt,  wliicli  I  was  to  send  him  to- 
morrow morning,  the  pay  day.  All  this  now  cannot  be.  It  struck 
me  that  at  the  first  moment  it  might  be  convenient  for  Mrs. 
Garnett  to  have  a  few  pounds  at  once,  and  till  she  has  time  to 
settle  her  affairs  ;  but  not  knowing  her  enough,  I  dare  not 
make  any  offer  of  assistance.  Can  you  help  me  in  conveying 
my  humble  and  poor  offer  to  her  in  a  proper  and  unobtrusive 


manner  ? 


With  many  thanks  to  you,  my  dear  Sir,  for  having  made  me 
aware  of  this  sad  event  without  delay, 

I  remain,  &c.,  &c., 

A.  Panizzi." 

Mr.  John  Winter  Jones  had  been  in  the  Institution 
since  1837,  and  besides  ranking  next  to  Panizzi,  was 
also  his  friend,  and  stood  firmly  by  him  through  all 
the  vicissitudes  of  fortune  which  attended  him  ;  it 
will  hereafter  be  noticed  that  he,  in  1856,  succeeded 
Panizzi  as  Keeper  of  the  Printed  Books,  and  finally 
in  18C6,  as  Principal  Librarian. 


Appointed  let  March,  1851. 


WATTS  165 

Mr.  Thomas  Watts,  the  linguist,  was  another  of 
the  "  Temporary  Assistants,''  appointed  in  1838,  who 
rose  to  the  grade  of  Keeper  of  the  Printed  Books,  in 
succession  to  Mr.  Jones,  but  did  not  live  long  to  enjoy 
his  promotion,  for  he  died  three  years  afterwards,  on 
the  9th  of  September,  1869,  aged  58. 

In  the  autumn  of  the  year  1835,  Mr.  Watts'  atten- 
tion was  attracted  to  the  publication  of  the  Parlia- 
mentary Commission  of  1835-36,  previously  discussed. 
He  read  the  evidence  with  great  interest,  and  ere  long, 
in  1836-37,  wrote  some  valuable  comments  upon  it, 
which  embodied  several  suggestions  for  the  improve- 
ment of  the  Museum  service,  some  of  which  he  had 
the  satisfaction  of  seeing  carried  out  during  his  life- 
time. 

Judging  from  certain  passages  which  occur  in  a  letter 
addressed  to  Panizzi  by  Mr.  Watts,  it  might  almost  be 
inferred  that  long^  afterwards  some  sort  of  ill-feeling  ex- 
isted  between  the  two.  Panizzi,  as  already  described, 
was  a  strict  disciplinarian,  and  as  he  seldom  allowed 
himself  to  be  one  minute  behind-hand  at  his  post,  ex- 
pected from  all  those  under  him  similar  punctuality 
in  attendance,  so  that  the  Trustees  might  not  loss  any 
of  the  time  which  was  their  just  due.  Now  it  seems 
that  Mr.  Watts  was  accused  by  Panizzi  of  arriving 
late  at  the  Museum  and  of  wasting  his  time,  as  proved 
by  the  insufficient  number  of  titles  written  by  him  for 
the  Catalogue.  This  Panizzi  communicated  to  him 
in  the  shape  of  a  letter  ;  which,  after  a  few  days, 
Mr.  Watts,  naturally  stung  by  the  rebuke,  answered 
by  an  epistle  of  more  than  ordinary  length,  extending 


1(34  THE    LIFE    OP    SIR   ANTHONY    PANIZZI 

almost  to  eight  quarto  pages,  of  small  writing,  and 
beginning  thus  : — 

"  I  have  read  repeatedly,  with  emotions  of  the  greatest  sur- 
prise and  pain,  the  letter  from  you  which  I  found  on  my  desk 
on  Wednesday  morning.  I  have  been  for  some  days  at  a  loss 
how  to  reply;  but  I  perceive  that  a  reply  of  some  kind  is  im- 
peratively needed. 

The  general  impression  which  that  letter  conveys  is  that  you 
find  me  idle  and  inefficient  in  zeal  and  energy,  and  setting  a 
bad  example.  To  hear  such  an  accusation  from  any  one  would 
surprise  me.  I  know  not  how  to  describe  the  feeling  with 
which  I  hear  it  from  you.  You  are  the  very  first  person  to 
whom  I  should  have  appealed  for  its  refutation.  ...  It 
was  at  your  recommendation  that  the  Royal  Commissioners*  to 
inquire  into  the  affiirs  of  the  Museum  expressed  an  opinion  in 
very  strong  terms  that  my  salary  should  be  doubled  and  my 
position  improved.  You  made  use  before  them  of  these  emphatic 
words: — "  Mr.  Watts  has  always  done  his  duty  arid  done  it 
ivell."  .  .  •  .  How,  sir,  am  I  to  account  for  so  striking  a 
change  in  your  opinion  of  me  as  your  letter  indicates?" 

He  seems  to  acknowledge  that  he  had  actually  been 
in  the  habit  of  coming  late  to  his  work  ;  (it  was  known 
that  at  times  his  health  was  not  good)  but  promised 
that  in  future  he  would  do  his  utmost  to  please  and 
satisfy  his  chief  in  every  possible  manner. 

In  corroboration  of  the  statement  of  Watts  in  the 
first  part  of  his  letter,  it  may  not  be  amiss  to  give  in  full 
a  report  which  Panizzi  addressed  to  the  Trustees  about 
that  period : — 

"  Mr.  Panizzi  begs  to  submit  to  the  Trustees  the  case  of  Mr. 
Watts,  a  permanent  assistant  in  this  Department,  who  has  been 
absent  from  his  duties  for  the  space  of  forty-five  days,  owing  to 
a  long  illness.     His  salary  is  stopped  during  the  time  of  ab- 

*  Here  he  refers  to  a  later  "inquiry." 


WATTS  165 

-sence,  even  when  caused  by  a  misfortune  to  which,  as  in  this 
<;ase,  the  very  nature  of  his  occupation  in  the  Museum  may 
have  contributed.  Mr.  Panizzi  begs  that  this  circumstance 
and  the  value  of  the  services  of  INlr.  Watts,  to  which  he  has 
often  had  occasion  to  render  justice,  may  induce  the  Trustees 
to  direct  Mr.  Watts'  salary  for  the  time  of  his  absence  to  be 
paid." 

This  Report  is  an  excellent  proof  of  Panizzi's  con- 
sideration for  those  under  his  supervision,  and  no 
further  confirmation  that  the  fault  found  with  Watts 
•arose  from  his  strict  sense  of  duty  towards  the  Trus- 
tees, and  a  fearless  disregard  of  bringing  on  himself 
ithe  enmity  of  anyone  for  the  simple  discharge  of  that 
.duty,  is  required.  Perhaps  this  is  better  explained  in 
his  own  words,  in  answer  to  Mr.  Watts'  letter  : — 

"  I  have  two  principal  duties  to  perform  as  the  head  of  this 
Department.  The  first  is  to  complete  the  new  Catalogue  with 
all  possible  despatch  consistent  with  accuracy.  Until  that  is 
done  I  ou"ht  not  and  will  not  entertain  any  other  scheme,  how- 
ever  plausible,  which  would  inevitably  interfere  with  the  rapid 
progress  of  that  great  work.  It  is  for  that  end,  and  for  that 
only,  that  assistance  is  given  to  me  so  far  as  the  Catalogue  is 
concerned,  and  neither  friends  nor  enemies  shall  make  me  tura 
from  the  path  on  which  I  am  bound." 

The  next  distinguished  "  Temjjorary  Assistant  "  to 
he  introduced  to  our  readers  was  John  Humffreys 
Parry,  the  late  Serjeant  Parry,  who  has  so  recently 
■departed  this  life. 

Mr.  Parry  was  recommended  on  the  31st  of  January, 
1839,  to  Panizzi  by  Mr.  Forshall,  through  the  follow- 
ing letter : — 

"The  bearer,  ]\Ir.  HuinlTicys  Parry,  is  a  gentleman  of  whose 
friends  and  connections  I  can  bear  testimony  as  being  of  the 
highest  respectability.     He  is  a  young  man  of  talent,  intended 


m2 


166  THE    LIFE    OF   SIR    ANTHONY    PANIZZI 

for  the  Bar,  but  left,  from  family  circumstances,  much  to  hi& 
own  resources.  He  would  be  glad  to  have  employment  upon 
the  new  Catalogue.  Examine  him,  and  form  your  own  judg- 
ment as  to  his  fitness. 

Some  private  conduct  of  the  young  man's  has  accidentally 
come  to  my  knowledge,  which  enables  me  to  assure  you  that 
he  is  a  person  of  no  common  merit  in  many  essential  points  of 
character." 

Immediately  afterwards,  at  an  interview,   Panizzi 

gave  him  the  appointment  he  sought,  and  on  the  14tli 

of  February,  1839,  Mr.  Parry  thus  addressed  his  new 

chief: — 

**  36,  Lower-street,  Islington. 

"  Sir, — Mr.  Forshall  has  Informed  me  that  I  am  to  receive 

the  appointment  on  the  Alphabetical  Catalogue  at  the  Museum^ 

and  having  a  few  arrangements  to  make  prior  to  commencing 

my  duties,  I  fear  I  shall  not  be  able  to  attend  before  Monday 

or  Wednesday  next.       I  think  it  right  to  apprise  you  of  this, 

as  Mr.  Edwards  stated  to  me  your  wish  that  I  should  lose  na 

time,  and  I  am  anxious  to  comply  with  it." 

AU  those  who  knew  the  learned  Serjeant  in  after 
years  fully  appreciate  the  geniality  of  his  disposition. 
Panizzi  soon  became  attached  to  him,  and  was  not  long 
in  discerning  his  superior  qualities.     He  was  a  great 
favourite  with  all.     On   one  occasion,  when  all  the 
Assistants  were  mustered  in  solemn  conclave,  to  discuss 
a  new  rule  for  cataloguing,  some  one  knocked  at  the 
door,  when  Parry,  without  leaving  time  for  Panizzi  to 
speak,  imitated  a  person  suffering  from  influenza,  and 
said  "  Cub  id!"     None  but  he  would  so  have  dared 
to  beard  the  lion  in  his  den ;  but  Panizzi  joined  in  the 
laughter  created  by  the  joke  as  heartily  as  the  rest. 
On  another  occasion  Panizzi  asked  these  gentlemen  to 
give  their  opinion  on  a  portrait  of  himself.     One  of 


I 


PARRY  167 

them  remarked  that  it  looked  rather  dark,  when  Parry 
said,  "  Oh,  I  have  seen  Mr.  Panizzi  look  much  blacker 
than  that !"  One  more  instance  of  his  ready  wit 
and  we  have  done.  Mr.  Parry  occasionally  absented 
himself  from  the  Museum,  until  one  afternoon  Panizzi 
sent  for  him  and  requested  him  to  discontinue  such 
habits,  when  he  received  the  following  answer: — "  I 
am  very  sorry,  sir,  for  I  was  just  going  to  ask  you  to 
let  me  go  for  the  day."* 

The  position  and  the  pay  of  these  "  Temj)orary 
Assistants"  most  of  whom  in  after  years  became  men 
of  distinction,  would  certainly  be  considered  inade- 
quate in  the  present  day. 

Previous  to  the  year  1837,  the  Assistants  were 
temporarily  engaged  to  perform  such  services  as  were 
required  in  the  several  Departments  ;  there  being  no 
regular  scale  of  remuneration,  but  a  daily  payment 
■fixed  by  the  Trustees  according  to  the  aptness  of  the 
individual  for  the  particular  service  allotted  to  him. 
The  rate  was  10s.,  12s.,  and  15s.,  in  one  instance  as 
high  as  20s.  for  each  day  whilst  actually  employed  at 
the  Museum. 

In  1837,  the  Trustees  decided  that  the  appointment 
of  these  Assistants  should  be  permanent,  and  fixed  a 

*  When  he  left  the  Museum,  Pauizzi  introduced  him  to  the  late  Mr.  John 
For.ster  in  these  terms: — "  A  very  clever  gentleman,  now  a  bani.-^ter,  Mr.  J. 
H.  P.,  and  formerly  an  assistant  in  this  Library  during  the  course  of  several 
years,  and  who  knows  more  about  the  Museum  than  any  one  I  know,  called 
here  yesterday,  and  told  mc  that  he  was  so  vexed  at  the  unfair  and  ignorant 
attacks  on  this  Institution  that  he  meant  to  write  something  about  it.  He  is 
accustomed  to  write  for  the  press,  and  his  politics  arc  excellent,  and  equalled 
by  his  frank,  honest  character.  It  struck  me  that  he  would  be  the  yeiy  man 
to  assist  you.     ,    ,    ,    .    If  you  see  him  you  will  like  him." 


168  THE    LIFE    OF    SIR   ANTHONY    PANIZZI 

standing  scale  of  remuneration  ;  the  members  of  this- 
class  were  known  as  "  Permanent  Assistants." 

In  1838,  at  the  time  of  the  removal  of  the  Library, 
the  "  Supernumerary  or  Temporary  Assistants"  were 
enGraired  at  the  rate  of  £2. 12s.  6d.  a  week,  or  8s.  9d.  a 
day,  for  every  day  actually  employed.  Their  number 
was  increased  from  time  to  time,  to  provide  the  extra 
labour  required  in  preparing  the  new  Catalogue,  and 
in  the  additional  duties  consequent  upon  the  rapid 
increase  of  the  Library. 

In  1847,  a  slight  change  for  the  better  took  place 
in  their  status.  In  practice  the  promotion  was  from 
the  Su]3ernumerary  to  the  Permanent  class  of  Assis- 
tants :  but  there  was  no  recoonised  claim  to  such 
promotion  on  the  part  of  the  Supernumeraries.  In 
the  year  1851,  the  distinction  between  the  Permanent 
and  Supernumerary  Assistants  was  abolished,  these 
Assistants,  in  all  Departments,  being  considered  as. 
forming  one  body,  although  divided  into  two  classes. 
In  all  these  and  subsequent  changes,  Panizzi  was 
always  the  one  wdio  strove  to  promote  the  welfare  of 
his  subordinates. 

Panizzi,  Thomas  AA^atts,  J.  Winter  Jones,  Edward 
Edwards,  and  John  H.  Parry,  formed  a  committee 
for  framing  the  rules  for  the  new  General  Catalogue 
of  the  whole  Library  ;  each  of  them  was  separately 
to  prepare,  according  to  his  own  views,  rules  for  the 
compilation  of  the  projected  work.  These  were  after- 
wards discussed  collectively,  and  when  any  difference 
arose,  it  was  settled  by  vote. 

The  rules  so  drawn  up  were  sanctioned  by  the  Trus- 
tees, on  the  loth  of  July,  1839,  and  printed  on  the  15tk 


SUPERINTENDENCE    OF    CATALOGUE  160 

July,  1841.  They  were  acknowledged  at  the  time  and 
still  continue  to  be  the  most  complete  ever  compiled^ 
although  attempts  have,  at  various  periods,  been  made 
to  improve  upon  them :  nor  has  the  approbation 
bestewed  upon  them  been  merely  of  a  local  character; 
it  has  extended  throughout  Europe  and  America.  The ' 
work  occupied  several  months,  the  busy  staff  often 
being  detained  until  late  at  night,  on  which  occasions 
Panizzi  invited  his  colleagues  to  share  refreshments 
with  him. 

The  above  rules  engaged  Panizzi's  earnest  attention, 
and  on  the  18tli  of  March,  1839,  he  sent  in  the  follow- 
ing report  to  the  Trustees  : — 

"  Mr.  Panizzi  has  the  honour  to  lay  before   the   Trustees  tlie 
Rules,  whicli,  under  all  circumstances,  he  proposes  as  advisahle  to 
be  followed  in  the  compilation  of  the  Alphabetical  Catalogue^ 
accompanied  by  a  number  of  illustrations.     Although  he  is  well 
aware  that  such  rules  must  necessarily  be  affected  by  the  haste 
with  which  they  have  been  compiled,  he  ventures  to  hope  they 
will  be  sufiiciently  intelligible  to  the  Trustees,  and  enable  them,, 
even  in  their  present  imperfect  state,  to  judge  of  the  principles 
that  Mr.  Panizzi  should  wish  to   see  observed.      He  is  fully 
aware  that  many  cases  may  arise  unprovided  for,  and  that  some 
of  these  rules  and  principles  may  be  liable  to  objections,  which 
may  not  perhaps  appear  in  other   plans,  seemingly  preferable, 
but  he  trusts  that  what  seems  objectionable  may,  on  mature 
reflection,  be  found  in  fact  less  so.     He  cannot,  at  present,  da 
more   than  entreat  the   Trustees  to  take  into  their  patient  and 
minute  consideration  every  single  part,  as  well  as  the  whole  of 
the  plan  proposed,  and  then  decide  as  they  may  think  fit,  bear- 
ing in  mind  that,  although  these  rules  may,  if  strictly  followed,, 
occasionally  lead  to  what  may  appear  absurd,  the  same  objec- 
tion, to  a  perhaps  greater  extent  may  be    urged    against  any 
other  plan,  and  far  greater  evils  result  from  a  deviuiion  from  a 
principle  than  from  its  inflexible  application." 


170  THE    LIFE    OF    SIR   ANTHONY    PANIZZI 

On  the  16th  of  the  same  month,  March,  Mr. 
Baher  (Panizzi's  predecessor)  happened  to  call  at  the 
Museum,  when  the  draft  of  these  rules  was  submitted 
to  him,  and  with  respect  to  them  he  expressed  general 
satisfaction. 

America  has  been  mentioned  with  special  reason. 

The  first  sfeneral  Conference  of  Librarians  was  held 
at  New-York,  September  15,  16,  and  17,  1853,  upon 
■an  invitation,  signed  by  Professor  C.  C.  Jewett,  "  for 
the  purpose  of  conferring  together  upon  the  means  of 
advancing  the  prosperity  and  usefulness  of  Public 
Libraries,  and  for  the  suggestion  and  discussion  of 
topics  of  importance  to  book  collectors  and  readers." 

At  this  meeting:  the  learned  Professor  made  a  state- 
ment  to  the  effect  that  the  scholars  of  all  nations  de- 
manded of  Great  Britain  that  the  Catalogue  of  the 
Library  of  the  British  Museum  should  be  thoroughly 
and  efficiently  executed,  and  should  be  a  work  of 
bibliographical  authority. 

Professor  Jewett  had  made  Panizzi's  acquaintance 
on  his  visit  to  London  several  years  before,  with  the 
object  of  studying  our  Library,  and  sent  to  him  a 
special  invitation  to  attend  the  Conference.  How- 
ever, it  was  not  accepted,  and  he  wrote  to  Mr.  Haywood 
thus,  July  21,  1853  :— 

"As  to  my  going  anywhere,  I  have  to  tell  you  of  a  dream, 
which  1  should  like  to  become  a  reality.  There  is  going  to 
be  a  Congress  of  Librarians  in  the  United  States,  which  is  to 
open  on  the  15  th  of  September  next,  and  where  all  the  great 
questions  connected  with  the  management  of  a  great  Library 
are  to  be  discussed  and  uniform  principles  adopted.  The 
Americans  have  always  been  my  friends,  and  the  principles 
which  wdl  prevail  are  mine.     They  wish  me   to  go,  and  I 


ADDITIONS    TO    LIBRAKY.  171 

should  like  it  amazingly;  but  the  expense  Is  too  heavy.  I  will 
try,  if  possible,  to  get  help  from  the  Trustees.  Do  you  tliink 
it  possible,  in  case  of  my  going,  that  if  the  packet  is  not  full  I 
might  have  a  cabin  to  myself  ?  " 

The  grant  for  the  purchase  of  Printed  Books  in 
1838,  being  £1 000  more  than  the  preceding  years,  per- 
mitted the  purchase  of  some  rare  and  valuable  books- 
For  instance : — 

The  Translation  of  Montaigne's  Essays  by  Florio, 
Avitli  an  autograph  of  Shakespere. 

A  copy  of  Luther's  Translation  of  the  Bible  in 
German,  printed  at  Wittemberg,  in  1550-Gl.  (2  vols, 
folio,  on  vellum.) 

The  first  edition  of  the  Pentateuch,  in  the  original, 
printed  at  Bologna,  in  1482.     (vellum,  folio.) 

The  new  Testament  in  German,  printed  at  Augs- 
burg, in  1535.     (2  vols  8vo,  on  vellum.) 

A  richly  illuminated  Roman  Missal,  with  the  arms 
of  Savoy  facing  the  title-page,  richly  emblazoned. 
Printed  in  Paris,  in  1517.     (1  vol.  folio,  on  vellum.) 

The  lives  of  Cornelius  Nepos  (1  vol.  4to,  on  vellum), 
printed  at  Parma,  at  the  Bodoni  Press,  in  1799  ;  and 
many  others  of  equal  importance. 

In  the  year  1839  it  must  be  noted  that  the  Museum 
acquired  two  Latin  Bibles,  with  copious  manuscript 
notes,  supposed  to  be  by  Melanchthon. 

Besides  these  noteworthy  and  valuable  purchases, 
presents  were  also  received,  and  deserve  particular 
mention.  Two,  especially,  must  not  be  omitted  to  be 
named : — 1st.  The  llesolutions  and  other  papers  of  the 
States  General  of  Holland,  from  1524  to  1798,  with 
indices,   the  whole   contained  in  389  vols,   folio,  pre- 


172  THE    LIFE    OF    SIR   ANTHONY    PANIZZI 

sented  by  H.M.  the  King  of  the  Netljerlands. 
2nd.  A  copy  of  Cicero's  Orations,  printed  by  Adam 
Ambergau,  in  1742.  1  vol.  folio,  handsomely  bound,, 
presented  by  the  Right  Hon.  Sir  Arthur  Paget, 
G.C.B. 

The  work  having  progressed  satisfactorily  thus  far,, 
it  became  necessary  to  inquire  diligently  into  the  many 
deficiencies  in  the  National  Library,  and  to  propose 
means  of  supplying  them.  This  was  accordingly  done 
in  a  Report  dated  1st  of  January,  1845.  On  the  IGth 
of  December,  the  same  year,  it  was  forwarded  to  the 
Treasury  by  direction  of  the  Trustees,  and  in  the 
letter  accompanying  it  the  following  passage 
occurs : — 

"  The  Trustees  of  the  Britisli  Museum  earnestly  hope  that  Ilcr 
Majesty's  Grovernment  will  take  it  into  their  grave  deliberation 
■whether  the  time  has  not  come  when  it  may  be  desirable,  and 
on  all  grounds,  literary,  political,  and  economical,  to  enter  at 
once  upon  a  more  enlarged  and  comprehensive  scale  of  expen- 
diture for  the  supply  of  Printed  Books. 

Without  presuming  to  enter  into  other  considerations,  the 
Trustees  conceive  themselves  warranted  in  stating  it  as  their 
opinion  that  the  present  circumstances,  as  far  as  the  British 
]Museum  itself  is  concerned,  arc  extremely  favourable  to  the 
entertaining  of  such  a  proposition. 

The  gentleman  at  the  head  of  the  Department  is  eminently 
qualified  for  the  trust  reposed  in  him:  he  is  fully  sensible  of 
its  importance,  is  ready  to  devote  his  whole  time  and  thought 
(as  indeed  he  has  hitherto  done  in  a  most  praiseworthy  and  ex- 
emplary manner)  to  make  the  Library  in  his  charge  as  com- 
plete in  every  department  of  literature  as  he  can,  and  at  the 
same  time  accessible  to  the  public  on  the  easiest  terms." 

The  Report  contains  a  sketch  of  the  British 
Museum,  and  of  its  arrangement,  together  with  some 


KEPORT   OP    1845  173' 

suggestions  as  to  its  future  increase,  utility,  and  im- 
portance. It  shows  how  and  when  the  Librarj^  was 
brought  to  the  condition  in  which  it  was  at  the  end 
of  the  year  1842.  The  state  of  the  Collection  in  its 
several  branches  is  examined,  with  regard  to  the 
various  classes  of  human  knowledge,  to  the  various 
countries  where  the  books  were  published,  and  to  the 
languages  in  which  they  are  written.  Means  are  sug- 
gested by  which  the  Collection  ought  to  be  increased 
to  proportions  worthy  of  the  nation ;  and,  lastly,  at- 
tention is  called  to  the  effects  which  the  proposed  in- 
crease would  have  with  regard  to  its  arrangements^ 
good  order,  and  economy.  This  elaborate  Eeport  was 
begun  as  early  as  1843.  After  many  delays,  Panizzi 
at  last  obtained  consent,  on  the  4th  of  January,  1845,, 
to  its  being  printed  privately  for  the  Trustees,  to 
whom  individually  it  was  ordered  to  be  transmitted  on 
the  24th  of  May  folloAving. 

It  remained  disregarded,  however,  until  the  autumn 
of  that  year,  when  it  Avas  brought  under  the  notice  of 
Mr.  Goulburn,  the  Chancellor  of  the  Exchequer,  and 
Mr.  Cardwell,  Secretary  of  the  Treasury.  In  conse- 
quence of  this  step,  a  meeting  of  the  Sub-Committee 
on  the  Department  of  Printed  Books  was  held  on  the 
29th  of  November,  1845,  the  Chancellor  of  the  Ex- 
chequer being  present,  and  it  was  resolved  that  appli- 
cation should  be  made  to  the  Treasury  for  the  annual 
grant  of  £10,000  for  ten  years  to  come,  to  supply  the 
deficiencies  and  exigencies  shown  by  Panizzi  to  exist. 
The  answer  of  the  Treasury  was  most  favourable :  it 
was  followed  by  a  preliminary  Parliamentary  grant  of 
£10,000,  which  was  but  the  prelude  to  many  others. 


174  THE    LIFE   OP   SIR   ANTHONY    PANIZZI 

The  letter  of  the  Trustees  to  the  Lords  of  the  Trea- 
sury, their  Lordships'  answer,  and  Panizzi's  report  were 
laid  before  the  House  of  Commons  by  the  Chancellor 
of  the  Exchequer,  and  ordered  to  be  printed  on  the 
27th  of  March,  1846. 

From  that  year  the  collection  of  Printed  Books  in- 
■creased  steadily  and  at  a  rate  unexampled  in  any  other 
country.  This  influx  of  books,  the  necessity  of  Cata- 
loguing, placing,  and  binding  them,  to  render  them 
available,  and  the  difliculties  created  by  want  of  sj)ace, 
added  enormously  to  the  already  onerous  duties  of  the 
Keeper. 

Nor  was  this  special  grant  otherwise  than  truly 
necessary ;  in  fact,  it  ran  short  of  the  sum  requisite 
for  purchasing  the  rarest  and  best  editions ;  the  com- 
monest being  consequently  acquired,  and  this  only 
tended  to  increase  the  bulk,  thus  reducing  it  to  the 
level  of  an  ordinary  Library,  instead  of  raising  it  to  the 
rank  and  splendour  of  a  National  Collection,  worthy  of 
so  great  a  country  as  England. 

Interesting  and  important  as  is  the  subject  of  the 
present  chapter — viz,  the  gradual  development  of  the 
resources  of  the  National  Institution,  and  the  energy 
displayed  by  those  whose  duty  it  was  to  use  every 
endeavour  to  raise  the  Museum  in  grandeur  and  extent 
— no  great  digression  is  admissible,  inasmuch  as  there 
is  on  our  hands  so  great  a  press  of  matter  that  nothing 
should  induce  us  to  lose  the  thread  of  our  biography, 
or  forget  that  we  have  the  life  of  Panizzi  under  treat- 
ment, and  the  history  of  the  British  Museum  only  so 
far  as  it  bears  on  his  doings  and  his  labours  on  its 
behalf. 


ADDITIONS   TO    LIBKARY  175 

Of  these  we  have  attempted  to  give  a  clear  and 
honest  account.  As  Panizzi  was  one  of  those  who  felt 
sincerely  that  "  whatever  is  worth  doing  at  all  is  worth 
doing  well,"  and  as  he  was  blessed  with  ability  and 
decision  of  character  to  carry  out  whatever  he  had  in 
hand,  it  is  pleasant  to  remark  how  thoroughly  and 
efficiently  he  applied  liis  talents  to  the  benefit  of  ih& 
National  Institution ;  and  much  as  it  would  delight 
us  to  expatiate  further  on  the  subject,  we  must  deny 
ourselves  at  present,  as  it  is  now  incumbent  on  us  to- 
enter  into  new  channels  in   connection  with  his  life. 


H-»^BiMi3_»i- 


CHAPTER  VI 

Bridport  Election;  Desire  to  visit  Modena ;  Mazzini ;  Post  Office 
Espionage  ;  Biographer's  Personal  Reminiscences;  Portland  Vase; 
Psalter,  1457  ;  Interview  with  Francis  IV;  Libri. 


N  the  honest  endeavour  to  represent  a 
man  as  he  really  was,  both  in  his  inward 
and      his      outward      bearings,     the 
biographer    has     much    difficulty   to 
encounter.     It  behoves  him  to  repro- 
duce a  life  with   special  regard    to    dates,  with   no 
matter  likely  to  confuse  a  reader,   or  to  press  too 
heavily    on  his    understanding;    but    this  biography 
claims  an  especial  degree  of  attention,  inasmuch  as 
the  principal  person  concerned,  though  actually  absent 
from  his  best-loved  locale,  was  proving  the  interest 
he  took  in  affairs  at  home  by  his  assiduous  care  of  the 
duties  with  which  he  was  entrusted.     Panizzi  pos- 
sessed no  more  power  of  ubiquity  than  other  men ; 
still  such  was  his  energy  that  only  a  close  observer 
could  follow  his  movements,  and  his  wonderful  activity 
often  made  him  appear  to  be  in  many  places  at  the 
same  time,  and  induced  the  belief  that  he  was,  at  all 
events,  performing  a  dual  character. 

These  observations  are  made  simply  to  warn  the 
reader  against  mystification  as  to  Panizzi's  movements, 


BRIDPORT   ELECTION  ITT 

related  in  the  pages  which  follow — pages  it  is  now 
incumbent  on  ns  to  pen — for  whereas  he  has  lately- 
been  treated  of  more  especially  in  his  official  capacity, 
our  position  must  be  changed,  and  he  must  be  re- 
garded from  a  political  and  personal  point  of  view. 
Indeed,  the  phases  in  Avhich  so  remarkable  a  man  may 
be  contemplated,  are  so  varied  that  it  requires  con- 
sideration whence  to  take  our  first  observation. 

However,  having  before  us  his  own  correspondence 
(and  what  can  be  more  corroborative  of  a  man's  per- 
spicuity than  his  own  written  expressions  on  a  subject?), 
a  letter  bearing  date  October  1,  1841,  clearly  sets 
forth  the  political  tendencies  of  Panizzi.  In  reference 
to  the  Bridport  election,  then  on  the  tains,  he  writes 
in  a  spirit  so  rich  in  tone,  so  lively,  sensible,  and 
witty,  that  nothing  can  induce  us  to  debar  our  readers 
from  the  enjoyment  of  his  remarks.  His  manner 
of  defending  AVarburton's  "^;?fr/fy,"  and  his  friend's 
innocence  in  being  deceived  by  a  "  rascally  attorneij" 
are  too  good  to  be  passed  over,  and  not  only  shows 
acute  insight  into  the  matter,  but  is  a  testimony  to  the 
contempt  he  bore  for  underhand  dealing,  under  any 
<.'ircumstances,  and  in  any  sphere  of  life  : — 

*'B.  M.,  October  1,  1841. 
"  Dear  Haywood, 

As  to  political  news  of  importance  I  have  none  to 
-give  you.  From  the  newspapers  you  will  have  seen  tliat 
Graham  is  not  a  favourite  with  the  Times,  and  it  seems  to  mc 
that  Peel  is  not  likely  to  agree  with  all  his  colleagues.  But 
this  is  prophecy,  and  I  wish  to  give  you  history — that  of  a 
small  political  transaction,  the  Bridport  election.  I  have  it 
from  a  friend  who  was  once  a  colleague  of  Warburton,  and  who 
is  still  trcs  lie  with  hlra. 


178  THE    LIFE    OF    SIR  ANTHONY    FANIZZI 

A  Mr.  Mitchell  (or  Maxwell?),  a  rich  Eadical,  put  himself 
forward  at  the  last  general  election  with  Warburton,  but  on 
distinct  interests,  ready  to  win  the  election  by  money.     He 
wrote  to  an  agent  there,  known  as  a  good  hand  at  this  sort  of 
thing,  and  authorized  him  to  carry  the  election  and  never  mind 
the  expense.     The  agent,  an  attorney,  carried  it  as  ordered,, 
and  spent  £5,600.     The  successful   candidate  refused  to  pay 
the  odd  £600.     After  all  means  had  been  resorted  to  to  induce 
liim  to  pay,  the  rascally  attorney  tlireatened  this  fool,  his  client^ 
that  if  he  did  not  pay  he  would  turn  King's  evidence,  and  tell 
all  the    story,  and  give  all  the  proofs  of  how  the  election  was 
carried,  to  the  Tories;  and  not  getting  his  money,  he  was  as 
good  as  his  word,  and  a  case  was  laid  before   Austin  that  left 
no  doubt  both  members  would  be   unseated,  for  about   150  of 
the  bribed  electors  had  voted  for  W.  as  well  as  for  liis  col- 
league.    Moreover,  although  W.  himself  had  kept  clear  of  all 
this,  his  agent  having  been   requested  a  loan  of  £200  by  the 
agent  of  M.,  had  lent  them  to  liim,  and  it  could  be  proved  that 
the  sum  was  spent  in  bribing  voters  for  tlie  Liberal  candidates. 
Some  of  the  best   of  Warburton's  friends  being  strongly  com- 
promised, and  M.  behaving  very  ill,  and  insisting  upon  keeping 
his  seat,  Warburton,  to  save  them,  came  to  the  agreement  with 
the  Tories  that  he  should  retire  and  they  desist  from   the  peti- 
tion presented  against  him,  but  following  up  that  against  his 
colleague  M.,  who,  there  is  no  doubt,  they  say,  will  be  un- 
seated, when  Warburton  will  be  allowed  to  succeed  him  with- 
out opposition   from  tlie   Tories.      As  soon  as  the  petition  is 
tried,  W.  is  to  let  people  know  in   some  public  manner  that 
there  is  nothing  against  liis  purity. 

Yours,  &c., 

A.   Panizzi." 

In  the  year  1842  it  was  Panizzi's  desire,  after 
twenty  years'  absence,  to  visit  his  native  country,  and 
the  attempts  he  made  to  do  so,  and  the  ready  assist- 
ance which  the  English   Government   afforded  him 


CANA'ING  179 

may  be  easily   estimated  from   the  following  official 
letters  : — 

'  Foreign  OITicc,  June  14,  1842. 

I  am  directed  by  the  Earl  of  Aberdeen  to  aclcnow- 
ledge  the  receipt  of  your  letter  of  the  lOth  of  April  last,  re- 
questing the  assistance  of  Her  Majesty's  Government  to  obtain 
a  promise  from  the  Modenese  Government  that,  in  the  event 
of  your  visiting  the  Austrian  dominions,  tliey  would  not  re- 
quire the  Austrian  autliorities  to  deliver  you  over  to  those  of 
Modcna;  and  I  am  to  inform  you,  in  reply,  that  the  Modenese 
Government  have  given  to  the  Government  of  Her  Majesty  the 
assurance  that  they  will  not  demand  your  surrender  from  the 
Austrian  authorities,  reserving,  however,  to  themselves  the 
power  of  requiring  your  removal  in  the  event  of  your  forming 
iusoicious  relations  with  Modenese  subjects. 

I  am,  &c.,  &c., 

Canning." 

"  Foreign  Office,  July  19,  1842. 

"  Sir, 

I  am  directed  by  the  Earl  of  Aberdeen  to   inform  you  that 

Prince  Metternich  has  assured  Her  Majesty's  Ambassador  at 

Vienna  that  you  are  at  liberty  to  prosecute  your  travels  in  the 

Austrian  empire  without  incurring  the  danger  either  of  being 

delivered  up  to  the  ^Modenese  Government,  or  of  meeting  with 

any  molestation  on  the  part  of  the  Austrian  authorities. 

I  am,  &c.,  &c., 

Canning." 

These  documents  sufficiently  prove  the  opinion  en- 
tertained of  Panizzi  in  this  country,  and  the  facilities 
pro\dded  for  the  adoption  of  the  course  he  had 
planned  for  the  attainment  of  the  wish  he  had  at 
heart ;  but  by  a  subsequent  letter  from  the  Foreign 
Office,  dated  26th  October,  1842,  we  can  conclusively 


180  THE    LIFE    OF    SIR    ANTHONY    PAXIZZI 

prove  that  he  was  unable  to  accomplish  his  object, 
for  in  this  official  document  we  read  that  a  "  Note 
Verbale"  had  been  delivered  to  Her  Majesty's  repre- 
sentative at  Vienna,  to  allow  the  applicant  to  prose- 
cute his  travels  under  certain  conditions — conditions 
which  the  circumstances  at  that  expiration  of  time 
most  probably  made  him  feel  unwilling  to  comply  with. 
The  following  is  the  letter  in  question  : — • 

"  ^ylth  reference  to  Viscount  Cannino-'s  letter  of  the  19tli  of 
July  last,  informing  you  that  you  were  at  liberty  to  prosecute 
your  travels  in  the  Austrian  dominions  for  the  purpose  of  visit- 
ing the  great  libraries  of  Austria,  I  am  directed  by  the  Earl  of 
Aberdeen  to  transmit  to  you  a  copy  of  a  "  Note  Verhalc,' 
which  has  been  delivered  to  Her  ]\IaJc?ty's  Ambassador  at 
Vienna  relative  to  the  conditions  under  which  you  will  be  per- 
mitted to  enter  the  Austrian  dominions. 

1  am,  &c.,  Sec, 

n.  U.  Addingtox. 

In  another  letter,  dated  ord  November,  we  find 
that  Panizzi's  wish  to  be  unfettered  by  the  "  Noie 
Verlale'''  is  unnoticed  by  the  authorities  of  the 
Foreign  Ofhce,  and  that,  however  m.uch  they  might 
feel  disposed  to  use  their  influence  in  his  favour,  still, 
entertaining  due  respect  to  foreign  authority,  they 
declined  to  interfere  again  in  the  matter,  and  there- 
fore it  must  be  concluded,  having  no  further  corres- 
pondence, either  on  the  part  of  the  applicant  or  the 
Foreign  Office,  that  the  opinion  of  the  latter  prepon- 
derated, and  that  the  anxious  hope  of  the  former 
proved  abortive. 

From  the  year  1842  to  1844  there  is  little  substan- 
tial evidence  of  Panizzi's  private   movements.     Not- 


Gladstone's  letter  181 

withstanding  his  apparent  activit}',  we  know  what  ho 
had  at  heart,  and  how  difficult  he  found  it  to  obtain 
success  in  the  attainment  of  his  wishes.  In  a  letter 
from  no  less  a  personage  than  Mr.  Gladstone,  dated 
12th  January,  1S44,  strong  sympatliy  in  tlie  endeavour 
to  pass  as  a  free  man  to  Italy  is  evinced 

"  Whitehall. 
"  I  have  spoken  to  Lord  Aberdeen   on  the  subject  of  your 
note.     He  lias  tlie  subject   in  liau'l,  and  also  at  heart;  he  will 
use  every  effort  in  his  power  to  obtain  you  a  free   permission, 
and  he  by  no  means  despairs  of  success.   .  .  ." 

That  Panizzi  waited,  and  waited  in  vain,  for  the 
accomplishment  of  his  purpose,  is  evident  from  a 
second  letter  from  the  same  distinguished  gentleman, 
dated  4th  June,  1844,  and  what  more  valuable  testi- 
monial could  a  man  have  than  this  1  "  /  on!//  wish 
the  Anst?'ian  Government  knew  you  as  well  as  ive  do 
— none  of  these  difficulties  ivould  occur ^ 

Less  than  two  months  afterwards  Panizzi  seems  to 
be  ailing  in  health ;  so,  at  least,  it  must  be  inferred 
from  a  letter  dated  British  Museum,  6th  of  August, 
1844,  wherein  he  states  that  he  is  suffering  from  a 
painful  swelling  in  the  right  wrist,  and  where,  also, 
lie  repudiates  the  imputation  of  goutiness.  The  letter 
is  so  characteristic,  that,  with  very  slight  abbrevia- 
tions, we  append  it  for  the  perusal  of  our  readers  : 

"  My  dear  Kutherfurd, 

I  am  sullering  from  a  painful  swelling  in  the  right 
wrist,  that  leaves  me  hardly  streiigtii  to  hold  the  pen.  Lord 
Melbourne   consoles   me  with  assurintr  me  that  it  is  o-out.     I 

don't  believe  it,  and  I  will  not I  am  going  to  write  an 

article  on  the  Post-Oilicc,  for  Welch,  and  one  on    the   Jesuits 


182 


THE    LIFE    OF    SIR  ANTHO^^Y   PANIZZI 


and  the  French  University,  and  another  on  Algiers.  What 
an  industrious  boy  I  am  ?  About  Algiers  I  have  got  such  a 
number  of  pirblications  as  would  astonish  you,  of  course  I 
mean  about  the  French  possessions  in  Algiers  that  I  intend 
writing,  not  about  Barbarossa.  I  hope  to  take  down  two  in 
MS.  with  me,  and  shall  expect  you  to  read  them  before  they 
are  printed,  which  will  do  me  more  good  than  the  reading  of 

Arnaldo  now  printed  will  do  to  you I  cannot  write 

more,  Brougham  came  here  the  other  day,  shouting,  laughing, 
joking,  and  jumping  like  a  boy,  and  pressing  me  to  stay  at  hia 
place  when  I  go  north  ;  but  1  don't  think  I  shall  have  time. 
He  is  there  now,  comes  back  for  the  O'Connell  business  at  the 
end  of  the  montli,  and  goes  back  to  Westmoreland  till  the  15th 
or  20th  of  October. 

Yours,  &c.,  &c.,  &c., 

A.  Panizzi." 


This  is  an  appropriate  peidod  of  our  history  for  the 
introduction  of  the  well-known  Giuseppe  Mazzini,  or 

the  '■'•  Frofeta^'  as  he 
was  commonly 
called  by  his  wor- 
shippers, amongst 
vvhom  Panizzi  is 
certainly  not  to  be 
reckoned.  It  would 
be  superfluous  to 
enter  into  details 
about  this  notable 
character  ;  his  writ- 
ings, and  jDcrhaps  it 
mav  be  added,  his 
private  life  also,  are 
already  familiar  to  most  of  us. 


{ 


MAZZIXI  183 

Thoiio-h  Paiiizzi  did  not  am-ee  with  Mazzini's 
violent  views  as  to  Republicanism,  there  is  no  doubt 
that  they  were  for  some  considerable  time  on  intimate 
terms.  Besides  being  a  politician  and  a  patriot  of  the 
most  enthusiastic  kind,  Mazzini  was  also  a  literary  man 
of  some  note,  and  shared  Panizzi's  intense  admiration 
for  the  works  of  Dante,  and  still  more  those  of  Ugo 
Foscolo,  as  already  related.  Farini's  opinion  of  Maz- 
zini exactly  tallied  with  Panizzi's — that  he  was  a  man 
of  no  common  talent,  remarkable  for  perseverance  in 
his  plans,  for  resolution  under  suffering,  and  for  pri- 
vate virtues ;  but  in  the  last  crisis  of  the  Italian 
nation  he  had  confounded  patriotism  with  self-love, 
or  rather  with  selfish  pride,  and  chosen  to  risk  seeing 
the  temple  of  Italy  burned  down,  because  she  would  not 
dedicate  to  him  its  high  altar.  Amongst  our  papers 
are  various  letters  in  the  handwriting  of  Mazzini,  and 
one  especially  noteworthy,  written  in  1840,  wherein 
he  recommends  a  friend  (as  a  reader)  to  the  Reading 
Room  of  the  British  Museum,  and  in  this  letter 
occurs  a  sentence  worthy  of  reproduction : — "  I  re- 
ceived safely  the  papers  I  lent  you.  I  perceive  that 
by  the  tone  you  do  not  agree  with  me.  I  trust  soon 
to  be  able  to  come  and  see  you,  and  talk  over  mv 
future  plans." 

That  Panizzi,  in  after  years,  disagreed  "  iu  toio  " 
with  his  friend's  principles  is  notorious ;  but  the 
actual  origin  of  their  estrangement  will  for  ever 
remain  a  mystery.  In  November,  1814,  an  article 
appeared  in  the  "  North  British  Review,"  wTittcn  by 
Panizzi,  and  entitled  "  Fost-OJ/ice  Usjrioiiac/e."  The 
opening   of  Mazzini's   letters  at   the  Post-OfHce.  and 


184  THE    LIFE    OF    SIR  ANTHONY   FANIZZI 

their  perusal  by  the  anthorities,  formed  the  subject 
of  this  treatise,  and  those  revehxtioiis  immediately 
aroused  John  Bidl  to  a  pitch  of  honest  indignation — 
*'  higldy  creditable  to  the  moral  feeling  and  sound, 
good  sense  of  the  nation."  We  learn  from  this 
article  that  Mazzini's  suspicions  were  first  awakened 
by  observing  that  his  letters  were  doubly  stamped  ; 
the  stamp  of  2  o'clock  in  the  afternoon,  for  instance, 
superseding  that  of  12  at  noon.  Having  read  in  an 
Austrian  paper  that  the  English  authorities  had 
undertaken  to  watch  the  proceedings  of  the  Italian 
refugees  in  Great  Britain,  the  idea  struck  Mazzini 
that  it  was  not  improbable  that  recourse  might  be 
had  to  opening  his  letters.  This  was  communicated 
to  Panizzi,  who  strongly  dissuaded  Mazzini  from 
giving  credence  to  such  strange  suspicions  regarding 
the  English  Government.  He  spurned  this  well-meant 
counsel,  posted  letters  directed  to  himself  and  to 
others,  in  the  presence  of  witnesses,  and  found  that 
v/hilst  the  other  letters  were  regularly  delivered,  his 
own  were  as  frequently  delayed  ;  he  sealed  them  with 
wax,  placing  the  impression  in  a  particular  position, 
and  then  discovered  that  that  position  of  the  seal  had 
been  changed.  Another  artifice  was  resorted  to. 
Grains  of  sand  were  enclosed  in  letters:  tliey  reached 
other  parties  safely,  but  had  disappeared  from  the 
letters  directed  to  himself.  This,  on  the  14.th  of 
June,  lSd-1,  induced  Mr.  T.  S.  Duncombe,  Member  for 
Finsbur}',  to  present  a  petition  from  lour  gentlemen, 
iivhig  at  No.  47,  Devonshire  Street,  Queen  Square, 
alleging  that  their  letters  had  been  delayed  and 
opened    by   the   authorities   at  the  Post-Officp.      Sir 


BUNCOMBE 


185 


James  Graham,  the  Home  Secretary,  did  not  deny 
that  he  had  issued  his  warrant  for  the  adoption  of 
8iich  a  course,  adding,  moreover,  that  a  power  was 
given  by  Statute  to  the  Secretary  of  State  to  open 
letters  in  transit  through  the  Post-Office.  This  led 
to  some  members  of  the  Liberal  side  taking  up  the 
subject  wdth  much  warmth,  and  denouncing  such 
proceedings  as  despotic  and  perfectly  unconstitu- 
tional. Their  own  action  was  not  altogether  left 
undefended  by  the  Ministers.  Mr.  Buncombe,  though 
unsuccessful,  showed  no  disposition  to  let  the  matter 
rest  here,  and  ultimately  succeeded  in  the  formation 
of  a  Committee  of  both  Houses,  composed  of  some  of 
the  most  eminent  amongst  their  respective  members. 
A  report  was  printed,  showing  that  the  warrants  of 
tlie  Secretary  of  State  in  previous  cases  were  issued 
only  on  peculiar  emergencies.  There  was  no  other 
vi'sult  from  this  affair,  except  that  a  Bill  was  intro- 
<kiced  by  Lord  Radnor  in  tlie  Upper  House  for  the 
abolition  of  the  power  complained  of;  it  was  not, 
however,  carried  beyond  the  first  reading. 

The  correspondence  between  Panizzi  and  Mazzini 
was  by  no  means  frequent,  and  soon  after  this  dis- 
graceful scandal  we  find  him  sending  to  Panizzi 
proofs  of  tlie  well-known  printed  letter  addressed  to 
Sir  James  Graham,  and  asking  his  advice  on  the 
matter. 

So  far  has  been  traced  the  acquaintance  of  these 
two  men  from  documentary  evidence  ;  but  the  bio- 
grapher can  bring  forward  personal  reminiscences  of 
this  extraordinary  man.  Often  has  he  heard  Panizzi 
relate  how,  on  a  certain  journey,  whilst  waitmg  for  a 


186  THE    LIFE    OP    SIR    ANTHONY    PANIZZI 

seat  ill  the  stage  coach  riiniiing  between  France  and 
Italy,  one  morning  early,  almost  before  daybreak,  he, 
on  taking  his  seat,  recognised  close  to  him  the  figure  of 
a  man,  in  blue  spectacles,  and  carefully  enveloped  in 
his  long  Italian  cloak.  It  was  no  other  than  his 
quondam  friend  Mazzini,  who,  finding  his  incognito 
discovered,  whispered  "  Per  amor  di  Dio^  Signor 
PanizziH!"  (For  the  love  of  God,  Signor  Panizzi !!!) 
As  might  be  expected,  Panizzi  assured  him  of  his 
perfect  safety.  The  frontier  was  passed,  after  a  most 
scrutinizing  search  by  the  French  and  Piedmontese 
authorities. 

The  bioo-rai:>her  also  remembers  one  afternoon, 
about  the  year  18 GO,  whilst  walldng  down  Fleet 
Street,  in  the  company  of  Panizzi,  being  desired  to 
look  towards  the  left,  on  doing  which,  he  perceived  a 
man  of  very  dark  complexion,  in  a  shabby  black 
coat,  with  a  silk  kerchief  wound  round  and  round 
his  neck,  without  collar,  waistcoat  buttoned  high, 
and  with  downcast  eyes,  standing  by  the  side  of  one 
of  the  small  arcli-\vays  of  what  was  but  recently 
Temple  Bar.  Panizzi  observed,  "  That  is  Mazzini." 
No  bow,  no  sign  of  recognition  passed  between  them. 
That  the  subject  of  tliis  memoir  never  afterwards 
communicated  with  his  compatriot  would  be  a  devia- 
tion from  the  truth,  for  in  April,  18G4,  when  Gari- 
baldi visited  London,  on  the  day,  or  soon  after,  it  was 
publicly  announced  that  the  Italian  hero  intended  to 
leave  England,  the  present  writer  was  the  bearer  of  a 
note,  penned  by  Panizzi,  from  whom  he  received  in- 
structions to  deliver  it  safely  into  the  hands  of 
Mazzini.      This  occurrence  took  place  early  in  the 


1 


THE    POKTLAND    VASE  187 

morning;  so  early,  indeed,  that  day  liad  scarcely 
dawned  when  he  left  his  friend's  residence  at  the 
British  Museum,  where  he  was  then  staying. 

This  is  but  a  slight  sketch  of  the  connection  be- 
tween Panizzi  and  Mazzini,  from  whicli  it  may  be 
gathered  that  no  great  warmth  existed  between  the 
two,  for  the  latter  was  too  impetuous  to  consort  wdth 
the  former,  who  was  imbued  with  common  sense  as 
well  as  with  patriotic  motives  in  all  his  actions. 

Let  us  now  confine  ourselves  more  immediately  to- 
Panizzi  himself,  and  whilst  giving  particulars  of  the 
various  occurrences  at  this  period,  the  destruction  of 
the  famous  Portland  Vase,  must  not  be  passed  over. 

On  the  7 til  of  February,  1845,  Panizzi,  at  about  a 
quarter  to  four,  when  descending  the  staircase  of  the 
Museum,  leading  from  the  room  where  the  vase  stood, 
to  the  outer  door,  observed  the  perpetrator  of  this 
singular  piece  of  barbarity  in  the  act  of  running  away;, 
and  he  used  to  relate,  witli  the  greatest  emotion,  how 
delighted  he  should  have  been  to  stop  him  (as  he 
might  have  done),  had  he  known  the  man's  dastardly 
conduct,  and  to  have  inflicted  on  the  spot  that 
chastisement  which  the  law  was  j^owerless  to  ad- 
minister. The  suddenness  and  unexpectedness  of 
the  deed  probably  saved  the  rascal  from  an  immediate 
attack  ;  he  had  seized  an  ancient  brick  kept  in  the 
room,  and  deliberately  aimed  it  at  the  treasure,  nor 
would  he,  on  being  questioned  at  the  time,  give  any 
account  of  the  motives  which  liad  prompted  him 
to  commit  so  wilfully  mean  and  base  an  act.  His 
name  was  William  Lloyd,  a  native  of  Dublin.  No 
time  was  lost  in  conveying  him  to  Bow  Street,  where 


1S8  THE    LIFE    OF    SIR    AXTIIOXY    PANIZZI 

lie  was  remanded  by  the  sitting  magistrate.  The 
utmost  punishment  the  magistrate,  Mr.  Jardine,  was 
able  to  inflict — £3,  or  two  months  in  default — was 
absurdly  inadequate  (as  true  believers  in  art  know 
only  too  well)  to  so  signal  an  offence.  Tlic  money 
was  moreover  paid  very  soon  after  by  some  perverse 
sympathiser,  and  the  offender  was  set  free.* 

So  much  then  for  the  Portland  Vase  and  its 
ignominious  and  cruel  fate ;  at  the  time  of  its  occur- 
rence the  affair  caused  a  great  stir. 

In  the  month  of  June,  1845,  Panizzi  made  an 
application  to  the  Trustees  to  grant  him  twelve  weeks' 
holidays,  in  lieu  of  the  usual  annual  vacation;  on  the 
very  excusable  plea  that,  for  several  years  past,  extra 
official  duties  had  obliged  him  to  forego  the  greater 
porlion  of  his  allowed  and  legitimate  leave.  He  was 
promptly,  and  ^vith  the  consideration  that  all  servants 
of  the  Trustees  have  ever  experienced  on  such  special 
and  reasonable  applications,  whether  for  the  sake  of 
their  health  or  for  visiting  foreign  countries,  and  thus 
acquiring  valuable  knowledge — granted  the  twelve 
weeks'  holidays. 

*■'  This  world-renowned  vase  appears  to  have  been  a  cinerary  urn,  as  it  was 
filled  with  ashes,  and  the  reiuidns  of  bones  were  discovered  within  it.  It 
was  enclosed  in  a  marble  sarcoi^hagus,  which  was  in  a  sepulchral  vault  at  a 
j)lace  called  "idonte  Grano."  According  to  some  accounts,  the  time  of  the 
<liscovcry  was  at  the  close  of  the  sixteenth  century,  whilst  others  assert 
tli.it  it  was  dug  up  by  order  of  Pope  Urban  VIII.  (Uarboriui)  between  1623 
and  1G24.  The  sarcophagus  was  placed  at  the  entrance  of  the  Museum 
Canitoliiium,  and  the  vase  in  the  Barberiui  Palace,  where  it  remained  for 
niDie  than  a  century.  It  was  at  last  purchased  by  Mr.  Bayers,  who  parted 
with  it  to  Sir  William  Hamilton.  On  the  10th  of  September,  1784:,  it  was 
cxliibitod  at  the  Society  of  Aiiii(|aaries,  London.  Tiie  Ducliess  of  Portland 
subsequently  purchased  it,  and  from  her  it  derived  its  title.  It  was  deposited 
in  ihe  British  Museum  in  1810  by  His  Grace  the  Duke  of  Portland.  The 
•vase  is  still  exhibited,  the  innumerable  fragements  having  been  put  together 
by  the  late  John  Doubleday,  an  Assitant  in  the  Museum. 


PSALTER    OF    14-57  189 

These  commenced  on  the  oOtli  of  June,  and  we 
append  a  letter  from  Panizzi  to  Lord  Kutherfurd, 
dated  from  Ischl  on  Julv  28th  ; — 

"  Here  I  am  from  Vicuna  on  my  way  io  Venice.  I  am 
not  going  to  the  Modencse  regions.  You  sliaU  hear  a  gr-eat 
deal  about  that  and  other  matters  on  ray  return.  Sir  Robert 
G-ordon  (Ambassador),  though  a  Scotchman  and  a  Tory,  has 
behaved  with  the  very  greatest  kin(hness  to  me,  and  has  acted 
with  great  energy.  I  have  done  all  he  wished,  which  was  in 
every  respect  what  I  \vished,  and  I  bcHcve  him  as  pleased 
with  me  as  I  am  with  him.  Yesterday  and  to-day  I  have  been 
among  the  most  beautiful  scenery  I  ever  saw  in  my  life — even 
iuchiding  Scotland.' 

The  time,  thus  allowed,  was  not  dedicated  alto- 
gether to  private  enjoyment,  most  probably  quite  the 
reverse.  Panizzi  went  abroad  with  the  intention  of 
\  isiting  the  leading  libraries  of  Germany,  taking  on 
his  way  to  Vienna,  Stuttgart,  where  the  famous 
Psalter  *  of  1457  was  said  to  be  for  sale.  It 
had  been  discovered  in  1842  in  the  Library  of  the 
C'oUegiatstift,  at  EichstZldt,  in  Bavaria,  by  the  anti- 
<|uarian,  J.  Hess,  through  whose  interest  it  was  trans- 
ferred, in  1843,  to  Stuttgart  in  exchange  for  another 
rare  volume,  the  "  Acta  Sanctorum."  The  Keeper 
of  the  Printed  Books  was,  as  it  may  easily  be 
imagined,  eager  to  purchase  the  volume,  and  on  the 
11  til  of  June  he  wrote  the  following  report : — "Mr. 
Panizzi   has  the  honour  to  report  that  a  copy  of  the 

=■•  The  Look  is  of  great  imiiortancc.  It  was  priuted  in  Mentz,  by  Fast  and 
.Schceffer.  It  is  the  first  priuted  Psalter  ;  the  lir-t  book  printed  with  a  date  ; 
and  containing  the  first  specimens  of  printing  in  colours,  as  shown  in  the 
initial  letters.  A  copy,  bequeathed  by  Mr.  Gicu^illc,  is  now  to  be  seen  in 
the  KiD'^'s  Lioiaiv,  British  Musciun. 


190  THE    LIFE    OF    SIR   ANTHONY    PANIZZI 

First  Psalter  (1457)  not  long  since  discovered,  and  now 
in  the  Royal  Library  of  vStuttgart,  may  be  obtained 
for  the  British  Museum,  if  what  Mr.  Panizzi  has 
heard  may  be  relied  upon.  It  is  said  that  the 
Government  of  Wiirtemberg  might  be  disposed  to 
part  with  it  to  a  Puhlic  Lihrary,  but  to  no  one  else. 
Mr.  Panizzi  intends  visiting  Stuttgart  partly  for  the 
purpose  of  seeing  this  volume — the  most  important 
by  far,  as  well  as  the  rarest  of  all  early  monuments  of 
typography." 

The  recommendation  of  Panizzi  was  that  the  sum 
of  six  hundred  guineas  should  be  offered,  for,  to  use 
his  own  words  :  "  The  copy  now  in  the  Royal  Library 
at  Paris,  luanting  six  leaves,  sold  by  auction  in  1817, 
for  12,000  francs,  or  £480.  It  is  made  up  of  two 
copies,  and  is  otherwise  objectionable.  The  funds  of 
the  Royal  Library  at  Paris  being  then  low,  Louis 
XVIII.  himself  paid  the  above  price,  and  presented 
the  volume  to  that  institution." 

It  is  hardly  necessaiy,  though  the  volume  did  not 
iind  its  way  to  the  British  Museum,  to  say  that  the 
Trustees  did  not  hesitate  a  moment  to  sanction  the 
purchase  for  the  sum  recommended. 

The  main  object,  on  this  occasion,  being  that  of 
visiting  his  native  place,  Panizzi's  official  position 
must  be  temporarily  ignored,  and  this  point  of  view 
kept  in  sight.  On  the  24th  of  June  of  the  year  1845, 
he  received  a  friendly  note  from  the  Austrian  Ambas- 
sador in  London,  requesting  him  to  call  at  the 
Embassy,  in  order  that  he  might  submit  to  him  a  dis- 
patch from  Prince  Metternich,  and  another  from  the 
Minister  of  Police,  Count  Sedlnitzky,  stating  that  he 


THE    DUKE    OF    MODEXA  191 

might  with  safety  proceed  to  the  Austrian  Empire. 
Early  in  July  he  arrived  at  Vienna,  as  has  already 
been  noticed,  and  was  there  received  with  marked 
attention  by  Her  Majesty's  Ambassador.  The  Duke 
of  Modena  was  at  the  time  on  a  visit  to  the  Emperor 
of  Austria,  and  through  Sir  Robert  Gordon,  Panizzi 
obtained  an  interview  with  Francis  IV.  Before  the 
meeting  took  place,  Panizzi  wrote  to  a  near  relative 
of  his.  Signer  Pros^iero  Cugini,  to  the  effect  that  the 
Duke  had  accepted  all  he  had  heard  of  him  Avith 
unusual  grace,  expressing,  at  the  same  time,  his 
desire  for  an  interview,  and  also,  what  must  have 
astonished  Panizzi  most,  that  he  would  have  been 
alloAved  to  go  unmolested  to  Brescello.  His  delight 
can  easily  be  imagined.  On  the  21st  of  July  he  had 
the  gratification  of  an  interview  with  the  Duke,  who, 
being  now  in  his  66th  year,  was  perhaps  a  little  less 
blood-thirsty  tlian  when  Panizzi  left  him  in  the  year 
1821.  Francis's  love  for  Jesuitism  and  his  cunnino^ 
never  seems  to  have  abandoned  him,  even  to  the  last ; 
he  died  in  the  following  year.  The  meeting  was  all 
that  could  be  desired ;  and,  as  may  be  conceived,  the 
conversation  turned  at  once  on  the  political  state  of 
Italy.  On  this  subject  Panizzi  was  too  open-hearted, 
even  to  the  extent  of  forgetting  the  prudence  which 
should  have  permeated  his  words  and  actions  ;  he 
clearly  and  distinctly  told  the  Duke  that  his  mode  of 
Government  was  Avholly  hateful  to  his  visitor,  though 
he  had  no  feeling  of  enmity  towards  the  Duke  himself 
personally,  and  that  perhaps  there  remained  even  a 
sense  of  gratitude.  However,  in  spite  of  this,  they 
parted  apparently  good    friends,   and    with    tlic    full 


192  THE    LIFE    OF    SIR   ANTHONY    PANIZZI 

assurance  that  Panizzi  was  at  perfect  liberty  to  go  ta 
Motlena,  or  wherever  he  pleased. 

His  license  was,  however,  based  on  false  pretences  ; 
no  such  liberty  was  in  reality  granted.  Indeed,  it 
was  never  intended  to  be  carried  out,  or  if  so,  to  bo 
under  the  most  unpleasant  restrictions.  Our  warrant 
for  this  assertion  is  not  only  gathered  from  Panizzi's 
own  words,  but  from  incontrovertible  and  stern  facts. 
On  the  7th  of  August  Panizzi  wrote  from  Venice  to- 
Cugini : — 

"  I  must  not,  and  cannot,  now  enter  into  particulnrs  of  tlie 
reasons  wlilch  have  determined  me  not  to  enter  the  Modenesc 
States.  What  1  suffer  on  account  of  it,  God  knows  !  but  I 
had  sooner  die  than  accept  such  a  vile  promise  as  the  one  con- 
ceded to  me.  You  must  have  noticed  how  prudently  I  have 
conducted  myself,  and  how  gratefully  I  should  have  accepted 
such  indiilaence — an  induhfcnce  which  I  believed  to  have 
been  graciously  given.  In  the  word  of  lionour  of  your  Gover- 
nors 1  have  no  faith.     I  will  not  go  to  Modena,  where  I  have 

'  heard,  a  week  ago,  that  there  are  orders  against  me,  and  whicli 

'  have  been  issued  by  the  Duke  himself." 

He  then  proceeded  to  Mantua,  where  he  arrived  on 
the  19th  of  August,  and  was  met  by  some  of  his 
relatives.  From  this  place  he  addressed  a  note  to  the 
Modenese  authorities,  demanding  an  explanation ; 
the  answer  sent  was  short  and  discourteous. 

It  was  so  pre-arranged  long  before  Panizzi  and  hii 
former  sovereign  met ;  for  on  the  9th  of  July,  eleven 
days  before  the  meeting,  an  order  had  already  reached 
Eeggio  to  watch  the  visitor,  to  note  liis  associates, 
and  to  send  a  full  account  of  all  that  transpired  to- 
Modena. 


PANIZZl'S    JOUKXKY  lOo 

He  was,  however,  not  to  be  baulked  of  his  pro- 
jected visit  to  Parma,  where  he  went  by  a  circuitous 
route,  in  order  to  avoid  touching  the  soil  of  his  native^ 
State.  Here  he  was  met  by  all  his  old  acquaintances,, 
not  a  few  of  whom  travelled  all  the  way  from  Bro- 
scello  to  Parma  to  see  him.  The  names  of  these 
Brescellese  were  taken  down,  and  sent  to  the  Police 
Office  at  Modena.  On  his  return  to  London  he  wrote 
to  Lord  Rutherfiird  : — 

"  What  kindness  !  what  recollections !  what  a  country  I 
But  as  to  the  Government,  I  do  not  wish  it  to  be  known  tliat 
I  speak  with  disparai^ement  of  the  Italian  rulers,  as  I  ivisli  to 
(JO  there  again,  Xothing  new  here,  except  that  Mons.  Thiers 
comes  from  Lisbon  to  Lord  Ashburton's,  at  the  Grange,  in  ten 
or  twelve  days." 

We  must  pause  for  a  while  to  congratulate  Panizzi 
on  his  safe  return,  and  to  quote  the  good  wishes  of 
Samuel  Eogers  and  Dr.  Shepherd  on  so  auspicious  an 
occasion : — 

"  19th  October,  1845. 

If  you  are  in  town  will  you  do  me  the  great  favour  to 
breakfast  with  me  on  Tuesday  next,  at  ten  o'clock  ?  If  I  hear 
nothing  I  shall  venture  to  hope,  for  I  long  to  hear  of  your 
travels. 

Yours  ever, 

St.  James's  Placo.  S.  Eoget:.^." 

"Gateacre, 

October  20di,  1845. 
*'  My  dear  Panizzi, 

A  scamp  of  an  attorney  who  thrust  himself  into  some  trifling 
employment  in  Sir  Francis  Burclett's  celebrated  contest  for 
Middlesex,  on  sending  him  his  bill,  after  charging  for  a  jour- 
ney to  Acton  and  another  to  Ealing,  &c.,  &c.,  &c.,  closed  with 


194  THE    LIFE    OF   SIR    ANTHONY    FANIZZI 

tlio  follov/ini;'  item  : — '  To  extraordinary  mental  anxiety  on 
your  account,  £500.'  After  this  precedent  I  have  a  good 
mind  to  charge  you  a  good  round  sum  for  mental  anx'ety  on 
your  account,  ■which  I  suffered  when,  some  weeks  ago,  I 
lieard  a  vague  report  that  you  were  on  3'om-  way  to  Modena, 
for  I  have  sucli  a  horror  of  the  petty  Italian  despots  that  I 
could  not  persuade  myself  tliat  you  were  safe  when  in  the 
power  of  the  Duke.  Lord  Brougham,  however,  set  my  mind 
at  rest  wlicn  I  arrived  at  his  Cumberland  chateau,  on  the  23rd 
ultimo,  by  informing  me  that  he  had,  on  his  late  visit  to  Lon- 
don, learnt  at  the  Museum  that  you  were  on  your  return  to 
England,  having  kept  your  neck  out  of  the  noose  ;  and  jMr. 
Charles  Preston,  who  called  here  yesterday,  tells  me  that  you 
are  well  and  hearty,  and  very  busy  in  doing  the  hospitalities 
to  ]M.  Thiers.  By  the  bye,  there  is  much  truth  in  the  critique 
on  Thiers'  great  work  in  the  last  Quarterly,  but  the  article  is 
written  in  a  tone  and  spirit  of  which,  as  an  Englishman,  I  am 
ashamed. 

Pray  oblige  me  by  giving  me  a  full  and  particular  account 
of  your  interview  with  the  Duke  of  Modena,  and  tell  me  how 
far  you  penetrated  into  Lombardy.  I  presume  you  ran  no 
risk  in  the  Austrian  territories.  .  .  . 

Truly  yours, 

Wm.  Shepherd." 

Before  closing  this  interesting  portion  of  our  nar- 
rative, a  letter  from  Vienna,  October  17th,  must  be 
quoted  ;  it  will  be  read  with  interest : — 

"  I  availed  mvself  of  a  late  conversation  with  Prince  Met- 
ternich  to  express  to  him  your  gratification  and  thanks  for  the 
kindness  and  civility  whichyou  have  met  with  during  your  recent 
tour  in  Lombardy,  in  consequence  of  the  recommendation  from 
the  authorities  here,  and  he  appeared  pleased  that  you  had  had 
all  facilities.  I  am  convinced  that,  as  the  ice  has  been  broken^ 
the  same  facilities  would  again  be  afforded  to  you  should 
business  or  pleasure  induce  you  to  return. — Yours,  &c.,  &c., 

A.   C.   M.VGENIS." 


SIGXOR    LIBRI  195 

A  few  facts  relatins:  to  Simor  Libri  must  not  be 
omitted.  Inclmation  might  lead  us  to  suppress  them, 
but  our  duty  as  faithful  recorders  of  truth  points  to 
another  direction.  A  biographer  who  has  the  heart 
and  the  will  to  introduce  into  his  narrative  the  events 
of  the  life  he  is  depicting,  fearless  of  comment,  is  to 
be  commended  ;  and  as  such  we  do  not  intend  to  pass 
without  notice  the  Libri  case — a  case  which  indeed, 
next  to  Panizzi's  sentence  of  death,  was  the  most 
anxious  event  of  his  life. 

Signer  Libri,  a  man  of  extraordinary  talents,  espe- 
cially distinguished  as  a  mathematician,  was  a  Tuscan 
by  birth.  He  settled  in  Paris,  and  whilst  there,  in 
addition  to  his  political  avocations,  aided  by  his  able 
pen  the  Government  of  Louis-Philippe,  and  conse- 
.quently  became  the  bosom  friend  of  Mens.  Guizot. 

As  a  purchaser  of  books  he  contrived  to  amass  a 
collection  of  rare  volumes,  which  he  afterwards  sold 
publicly  to  much  advantage.  Shortly  after  the  revo- 
lution of  18-18  rumours  were  afloat  that  he  had  been 
.the  robber  of  Public  Libraries. 

It  is  not  our  intention  to  enter  for  one  instant  into 
'the  merits  of  the  case,  or  to  make  any  statement  bear- 
ing on  Signer  Libri's  innocence  or  guilt.  Certain  it 
is,  that  this  most  unpleasant  affair  gave  rise  to  much 
discussion  at  the  time  ;  and  Panizzi  has  often  been 
heard  to  say  that,  had  he  not  been  known,  as  he  was, 
to  be  a  man  of  strict  truth  and  honestv,  he  himself 
would  never  have  dared  to  defend  such  an  accusation 
as  had  been  set  up  against  his  friend.  As  already  in- 
timated, we  have  no  plea  to  offer  except  that  of  faith- 
ful biographers  for  touching  on  so  delicate  a  subject. 
o 


196  THE    LIFE    OF   SIR   ANTHONY    PANIZZI 

Paiiizzi  was  certainly  not  alone  in  his  opinion  ;  he  was 
supported  by  many  others,  and  those  men  of  distinc- 
tion, amongst  them  Guizot,  Merimee,  and  other  per- 
sonages now  living. 

M.  Guizot  wrote  thus  to  Panizzi  on  the  subject : — 

"  1  Decenibre,  1849. 

Je  suis  tres  occupe  de  M,  Libri.  Je  trouve  unique,  scanda- 
leusement  unique,  qu'on  ne  lui  communique  pas  toutes  les 
charges,  qu'on  ne  lui  donne  pas  toutes  les  facilites,  et  tous  le 
temps  necessaires  pour  y  repondre.  Quand  les  mauvaises 
habitudes  judiciaires  viennent  en  aide  au  mauvais  vouloir  des^ 
ennemis  tout  est  deplorablement  difficile,  .  .  .  .  .  Je 
ferai  tout  ce  qui  sera  en  mon  pouvoir  pour  que  justice  lui  soit 
rendue,  et  j'espere  qu'en  derniere  analyse  justice  lui  sera  ea 
effet  rendue." 

Enough  has  been  said,  however,  on  this  painful 
subject,  and  it  is  to  be  hoped  our  readers  may  take 
the  same  lenient  view  of  it  as  these  notable  indi- 
viduals. 

This  chapter  can  scarcely  be  better  brought  to  a 
conclusion  than  by  an  original  and  characteristic  letter 
of  Panizzi's,  which  is  added  as  a  specimen  of  terse 
writing,  and  as  showing  his  detestation  of  intolerance 
in  religious  matters,  as  well  as  for  the  spirit  in  which 
it  is  worded,  so  full  of  undisguised  feeling,  and  so 
worthy  of  its  open-hearted  writer: — 

"B.  M.,  14th  July,  1846. 
"  My  dear  Ruthcrfurd, 

Many  thanks  for  your  letter  of  Sunday  last,  written,  I 
suppose,  between  Churcli  time.  Maitland,  the  editor  of  the 
W.  B.,  had  already  given  me  some  insight,  but  very  dim,  intO' 
the  amalgamation  Avhlcli  has  taken  place  to  oppose  IMacaulay 


LETTER  197 

and  Craig.  As  I  have  said  a  thousand  times,  the  Britishers  are 
the  devil  and  all  when  they  mix  up  together  their  religion  and 
their  politics,  and  if  Lord  John  will  not  have  His  Satanic 
Majesty  about  his  ears,  he  will  interfere  with  religion  of  all 
sorts  as  little  as  he  can,  but  let  the  gentlemen  of  each  party 
fight  it  out  among  themselves,  and  be  damned.  We  say  in 
Italian  that  '  chi  lava  la  coda  all'asiiio  consuma  I'acqua  e  il 
saponc,'  and  he  throws  away  his  pains  who  tries  in  England^ 
Scotland,  and  Ireland  to  conciliate  religious  sects.  Look  at 
the  abominable  conduct  of  the  dissenters  a2;ainst  the  Whiirs  in 
general  some  years  ago,  at  that  of  the  Free  Kirk  people  at 
Olasgow  against  their  imworthy  Lord  Rector,  and,  just  now  at 
Plymouth,  at  tliat  of  dissenters  against  Ebrington.  I  saw  him 
last  night,  just  after  his  return  and  arrival  in  town.  He  told 
mc  that  their  conduct  was  abominable,  and  that  at  one  time 
they  threatened  serious  mischief.  The  fellow  who  distin- 
guished himself  was  a  man  of  the  name  of  N  '^'  "^  *  who  had 
hitherto  proposed  Lord  E.  He  had  himself  mismanaged  some 
Dock  Bill,  and  wanted  to  throw  the  blame  on  Lord  E.,  to 
whom  he  had,  however,  between  that  occurrence  and  the  elec- 
tion, written  in  the  most  friendly  terms,  and  asked  a  favour 
from  him  to  procure  the  promotion  of  a  son  of  his  who  is  in 
the  Excise.  Wood  tells  me  that  Ebrington  wrote  to  him 
strongly,  and  that  he  answered  a  sort  of  cold,  official  letter — 
as  usual — whicli  Ebrington  sent  to  tlic  father.  This  made 
him  angry,  and  it  seems  now  tlic  fellow  denies  having  applied; 
"but  Wood  has  got  the  letter  addressed  by  X  *  *  *  to  Ebring- 
ton, who  is  going  to  send  it  to  Plymouth  to  expose  that 
wretch.  Mr.  EUice  wrote  lo  mc  and  told  me  he  was  ixoin^-  to 
assist  at  your  instabulation,  or  installation,  as  he  called  it.  I 
answered  to  ]\Irs.  EUice  for  him,  but  I  have  heard  no  more 
from  either.  Everybody  says  here  he  ought  to  come  back> 
else  he  will  be  thought  displeased  and  in  a  pet.  Moreover,  as 
I  wrote  to  Mrs.  EUice,  Lord  Grey  told  me — no  doubt  that  I 
should  repeat  it  as  I  did — that  he  wanted  to  see  EUice.  As  I 
am  a  man  of  peace,  I  should  like  them  to  meet.  Dundas's  ap- 
02' 


198  THE    LIFE    OF    SIR   ANTHONY    TANIZZI 

pointment  is  not  approved  by  the  Bar,  and  will  do  harm.  Not 
that  he  is  not,  of  course,  highly  respected,  esteemed,  and  liked, 
both  for  his  talents  and  personal  manners,  but  because — no 
matter  whether  on  account  of  bad  health,  or  any  other  reason 
— business  has  almost  entirely  left  him,  whereas  Romilly  makes 
£5000  a  year.  Moreover,  he  has  done  nothing  in  the  House, 
at  least  for  the  party,  and  they  think  it  wrong  he  sliould  share 
the  honours  and  the  spoil.  I  have  not  heard  lie  has  accepted, 
but  I  suppose  there  is  no  doubt  of  it.  His  answer  from  York, 
where  he  was,  must  have  been  here  yesterday.  There  is  some 
screw  loose  about  the  sugar  duties.  The  protectionists  will 
support  Lord  John,  and  you  may  depend  on  this — if  he  will 
not  insert  in  his  second  resolution,  which  I  have  not  seen, 
some  abstract  principle,  which  they  say  is  in  it  now,  about  the 
harm  of  protection  in  general.  If  those  objectionable  words 
are  kept  in  the  resolution  they  will  oppose  him.  Now,  I 
believe  they  ought  to  be  kept  in  good  humour  as  much  as  pos- 
sible, and  certainly  at  the  sacrifice  of  uncalled-for  abstract  pro- 
positions. Lord  Ponsonby  is  to  go  to  Vienna,  though  he  says 
he  does  not.  Now,  I  know  he  knows,  and  his  nolo  episcopari 
sort  of  tone  is  all  humbug.  He  wishes  to  go  particularly ;  he 
thinks  there  he  may  settle  matters  with  the  Papal  Nuncio,  and 
be  sent  thence  Ambassador  to  Eome — the  aim  of  his  ambition. 

Yours,  &c.,  &c., 

A.  Panizzi. 
Peel  has  cut  his  leg  sadly  in  washing  his  feet,  by  the  break- 
in  gr  of  the  tub." 


o 


The  versatility  of  thought  displayed  in  this  letter, 
the  rapidity  with  which  its  author  speeds  from  sub- 
ject to  subject,  and  his  clear  and  decided  views,  are 
worthy  of  close  observation. 


.  J 


CHAPTER   VII 


Thiers;   Spanish  Marriages;  Downfall  of  Lord  Me}lourne''s  Adminis- 
traticn  ;   Corn  Lawsj   Coolness  between  Punizzi  and  Thiers. 

.AEONGST  the 
eminent  men 
whose  friend- 
ship Panizzi 
had  the  good 
fortune  to  enjoy,  not  the 
least  was  M.  Adolphe  Thiers, 
who  must  ever  be  regarded 
as  one  of  the  ablest  and 
most  honourable,  if  not  the 
most  successful  of  European  statesmen.  Thiers  and 
Panizzi  first  met  about  1840.  Frequent  association 
community  of  friends,  similarity  of  tastes,  and 
especially  the  interest  felt  by  both  in  political  affairs, 
soon  united  them  in  a  friendship  both  intimate 
and  lasting,  which  bore  its  fruits  in  due  season. 
Thiers,  writes  Panizzi  to  Lord  Rutherfurd,  Oct.  oO^ 
184-3,  has  taken  up  all  my  time  when  here. 
It  was  I  who  brought  him  and  Lord  Pahnerston 
together,  and  I  haye  sent  him  away  quite  pleased 
with  the  reception.  "\Ve  shall  talk  about  it,  and  you 
will  be  amused — if  you  answer  my  letters — with  what 


C^'^- 


200 


THE    LIFE    OF   SIR   ANTHONY    PANIZZI 


I  shall  tell  you  of  him  and  from  him,  and  about  him." 
Certain  communications  from  Lord  Clarendon  to 
Panizzi  contain  acute  and  pertinent  remarks  on  the 
illustrious  Frenchman.  For  ourselves,  we  have 
always  believed  that  an  intimate  feeling  of  Anglomisos 
(to  coin  a  word  somewhat  milder  in  significance  than 
AngIoj)hoMaJ  materially  influenced  Thiers.  Himself 
the  very  incarnation  of  the  Gallic  indoles,  it  is  not  to 
be  wondered  at  that  he  looked  on  the  most  prominent 
and  obnoxious  traits  of  English  character  as  antago- 
nistic and  repulsive.  Englishmen  seemed  to  him  the 
collective  impersonation  of  a  Sabidius,  or  of  a  Dr. 
Fell;  but  however  much  he  might  have  disliked 
the  English  as  a  race,  he  was  ever  ready,  owing  to 
his  candour  and  love  of  truth,  to  render  full  justice  to 
England  as  a  nation,  whilst  the  facility  with  which 
he  made  intimate  friends  in  this  country  is  too  well 
known  to  require  illustration  in  these  pages.  The 
following  letters  are,  however,  suggestive : — 

"  Bowood,  Oct.  12,  1845. 
*'  My  dear  Panizzi, 

I  am  exceedinfrlv  ol)liG;cd 
to  you  for  your  information  in  re 
Thiers,  whom  1  sliould  liave  been 
delighted  to  ask  to  The  Grove,  but 
I  fear  there  will  be  no  chance  of 
catcliinj]:  him  durino-  his  short 
stay,  as  previous  arrangements 
will  not  permit  of  our  inviting 
him  before  the  2oth.  He  really 
flits  about  Europe  like  a  flash  of 
lir-htninfif,  and  if  he  means  to  know 
anvthino;  about  this  country  and 
its  inhabitants  he  ou;rht  not  to  come  only  for  a  week  at  the 


clarendon's  letters  201 

•deadest  time  of  the  year,  though  to  be  sure  that  is  only  in  har- 
mony with  his  usual  system.  Don't  you  remember  his  famous 
note  to  Ellice  when  he  (E.)  was  Secretary  of  the  Treasury  ? 
''■Moil  cJier  Ellice,  je  veux  connaUre  a  fond  le  systeme  financier 
^e  VAnyleterre  quand  pourrez  vans  me  donner  cinq  minutes?* 
Lord  Lansdowne  has  asked  him  to  come  here,  and  if  he  does 
not  I  sliall  try  and  find  him  on  Wednesday  on  my  way  through 
London  to  join  Lady  C,  whom  I  left  at  Gorhambury  with  her 
father,  who  is  still  very  ill.  When  we  are  re-established  at 
the  Grove  I  need  not  say  how  much  pleasure  it  will  give  her 
and  me  to  see  you  there.  We  heard  from  Charles  that  you 
were  well  and  prosj^erous,  and  had  returned  more  devotedly 
attached  than  ever  to  the  Duke  of  Modena. 

Yours,  &c.,  &e.,  Clarendon." 

*Bowoocl,  Oct.  14,  1845. 
"  My  dear  Panizzi, 

We  were  all  in  great  hopes  that  Thiers  would  have 
•come  here  to-day,  but  as  he  docs  not  I  must  stay  over  to- 
■morrow,  for  it  would  really  be  grief  to  me  that  he  left  England 
•without  my  seeing  him.  It  is  quite  a  "  bo7mc  fortune  "  for 
Thiers,  and  important,  moreover,  to  the  relation  between  the 
two  countries,  that  he  should  have  fallen  into  your  hands  here, 
for  there  is  no  one  so  capable  of  properly  directing  his  enquiries 
and  opinions,  and  I  am  sure  there  is  no  born  Englishman  from 
whom  he  would  receive  with  confidence  and  belief  the  sort  of 
facts  you  will  put  before  him.  There  is  a  great  deal  of  avenir 
in  Thieis,  and  he  is  still  destined  to  exercise  much  influence 
upon  the  opinions  of  his  countrymen,  and  if  he  could  make 
himself  personally  cognizant  of  the  feelings  of  the  English  to- 
wards France,  and  become  sure  that  there  is  not  among  us  a 
germ  even  of  hostility  or  jealousy  with  respect  cither  to  the 
greatness  or  the  prosperity  of  France,  I  think  he  might  do 
much  to  allay  that  spirit  of  hatred  towards  us  which  his  own 
works  and  a  portion  of  the  press  under  his  control  have  already- 
done  much  to  excite.  It  would  be  an  undertaking  worthy  of 
him,  because  it  would  tend  to  advance  the  best  interests  of 


202  TUE    LIFE    OF    SIR    ANTHONY    TANIZZt 

civilisation,  to  put  Anglophobia  out  of  fashion  in  France,  but 
for  that  he  should  be  able  to  speak  with  authority  and  con- 
naissance  de  cause,  and  I  will  defy  even  his  cleverness  to  know 
this  country,  or  to  carry  away  any  correct  perceptions  of  it  ii> 
a  transitory  visit,  such  as  he  is  making.  For  m}'-  own  sake,. 
and  being  most  desirous  to  show  him  any  civility,  I  wish  hp- 
had  come  a  little  later. 

Yours,  &c.,  &e., 

Clap.endon." 

These  letters  cannot  foil  to  be  read  with  interest^ 
coming  from  so  appreciative  a  man  as  Lord  Chiren- 
don,  pointing  distinctly  as  they  do  to  his  intimate 
friendship  with  Panizzi,  and  expressing  his  hopes 
that  Thiers  wonld  be  cured  of  this  "  Anglo-phobia," 
or,  to  nse  our  own  modified  term,  "  An<>lo-misos,"" 
with  his  very  true  remark :  "  I'll  defy  even  his 
cleverness  to  know  this  countrv,  or  to  carrv  awav  any 
correct  perceptions  of  it  in  a  transitory  visit,  such  as. 
he  is  making." 

In  politics,  though  Panizzi's  opinions  (albeit  some- 
what modified  by  lapse  of  time,  and  by  his  inter- 
course with  the  greater  English  statesmen)  were 
probably  still  of  a  deeper  revolutionary  tinge  than 
his  friend's,  the  two  men  Avere  in  the  main  of  one 
mind.  The  prominent  question  of  the  day  was  that 
tissue  of  petty  chicanery  commonly  known  as  The- 
SimnisJi  Marriages  —  a  miserable  intrigue  —  which 
caused  considerable  commotion  at  the  time,  and  in 
due  course  produced  consequences  of  a  gravity  out  of 
all  proportion  to  its  intrinsic  importance. 

To  recapitulate  its  history  in  this  place,  and  at 
this  period,  would  be  impertinent ;  with  the  aid  of  a 
shght  introduction,  and  a  few  connecting   remarks,, 


SPANISH     MAREIAGES  203- 

enough  of  the  nature  of  the  transaction  for  the  pre- 
sent purposes  may  be  gathered  from  the  correspon- 
dence of  Thiers  and  Panizzi,  as  given  beh)w. 

The  affair  seems  to  have  come  under  serious  diplo- 
matic notice  about  the  be"innin":  of  1842,  when 
Queen  Isabella  was  in  the  twelfth  year  of  her  age. 
For  a  rough  sketch  of  its  origin,  let  the  following 
suffice.  M.  Guizot,  apprehensive  that  if  a  Prince  of 
other  than  French  or  Spanish  blood  were  to  share 
the  throne  of  Spain,  France  might  be  j^laced  as  it 
"Were  between  two  fires,  and  patriotically  wishing  to 
make  Spain,  so  fiir  as  possible,  dependent  upon  his 
own  country,  insisted  on  limiting  Queen  Isabella's 
choice  of  a  husband  to  the  descendants  of  the  Bour- 
bon Philip  V. ;  at  the  same  time,  however,  disclaim- 
ing any  intention  of  including  among  the  aspirants  to- 
the  Queen's  hand  any  son  of  the  King  of  the  French. 

The  candidates  spoken  of  at  the  time  were — 1st. 
Prince  Leopold  of  Saxe-Cobourg,  brother  of  the 
Queen  of  Portugal,  and  by  no  means  a  stranger  to 
French  blood,  whose  claim,  if  it  can  be  so  called, 
though  causing  the  greatest  disquiet  to  M.  Guizot,. 
■was  more  a  subject  of  conversation  than  reality.  In- 
deed, except  for  a  kind  of  counter-intrigue  of  a  sus- 
picious character,  purj^orting  to  be  in  his  favour,  this 
competitor,  can  hardly  be  said  to  have  been  in  the 
race.  2nd.  Prince  Metternich's  candidate,  the  Count 
de  Montemolin,  son  of  Don  Carlos,  who,  although 
within  M.  Guizot's  conditions,  had  but  little  chance- 
of  success  from  the  bei>innin2:.  The  third  Candida- 
ture  was  that  of  Count  de  Trapani,  brother  of  the  King 
of  Naples,  whose  chance,  as  it  turned  out,  was  about 


"204  THE    LIFE    OP    SIR   ANTHONY    TAXIZZI 

equal  to  that  of  Count  de  Montemolin.  To  complete 
the  list  followed  Don  Francisco  d'Assise,  Duke  of 
Cadiz,  and  his  brother  Don  Enrique,  Duke  of  Seville, 
sons  of  the  Infant  Don  Francisco  de  Paula. 

The  design  of  the  French  Minister  was  communi- 
-  cated  by  M.  Pageot,  whom  he  sent  for  that  purpose, 
to  Lord  Aberdeen,  then  Secretary  for  Foreign  Affairs. 
The  EnMish  INlinister  heard,  with  considerable  as- 
tonishment,  and  with  no  little  indignation,  the  un- 
warrantable proposal  to  restrict  the  Spanish  Queen's 
selection  of  her  consort.  He  replied,  however,  that 
in  a  matter  of  a  nature  so  entirely  domestic  it  was 
not  the  wish  of  this  country  to  interfere.  M.  Pageot 
thereupon  endeavoured  to  obtain  from  the  Foreign 
Secretary  an  expression  of  a  like  disinclination  to 
intervene  in  case  Queen  Isabella  were  to  fix  her 
choice  on  her  cousin,  the  Due  d'Aumale.  The 
answer  to  this  invidious  hypothesis  was  that  it  w^as 
based  upon  a  very  different  footiug,  and  involved  the 
question  of  the  maintenance  of  the  balance  of  power 
in  Europe,  as  settled  by  Treaty. 

As  a  matter  of  fact,  Mons.  Guizot  had  thus  ex- 
pressed himself  to  the  Cabinet  of  England  : — "  We 
thought  fit  to  apprise  you,  as  the  Ministry  of  one  of 
the  Great  European  Powers,  of  our  intentions  in  re- 
gard to  a  political  matter,  which  you  may  possibly 
consider  of  European  interest,  but  in  which  we,  on 
the  other  hand,  take  leave  to  hold  the  interest  of 
France  to  be  paramount  to  all  others ;  and,  inasmuch 
as,  in  such  matter,  we,  the  Government  of  France, 
have  laid  down  a  course  of  action,  from  which,  so 
far  as  lies  in  our  power,  we  wiU  suffer  no  departure. 


SPANISH    MAKRIAGES  205 

We  respectfully  request  you  to  give  your  adhesion  to 
our  design,  or,  if  that  be  impossible  to  you,  at  least 
to  remain  im2:)artial  and  inactive." 

Such  a  policy,  subtly  conceived,  and  springing  from 
■outre-cuidance,  might  Avell  arouse  patriotic  indig- 
nation, and  in  no  one  would  it  be  more  likely  to 
awaken  this  spirit  than  in  Lord  Clarendon.  His 
lordship's  censure  of  Lord  Aberdeen's  conduct,  how- 
ever, expressed  in  the  following  letter  to  Panizzi, 
•seems,  to  say  the  least  of  it,  a  little  severe  : — 

*'  The  Grove,  December  23rc!,  1815. 

"  Mv  dear  Panizzi, 

I  should  have  sinccrclv  rco;vettcd  if  Palmerston  had  even 
thought  he  had  reason  to  complain  of  any  one  of  his  friends 
•during  the  late  odious  transaction  ;  but  I  am  particularly  glad 
that  tlie  matter  should  have  been  discussed  between  you  and 
him  ;  for,  as  you  wcdl  knew  my  opinions  long  before  any 
question  of  a  change  of  Government,  respecting  his  return  to 
the  Foreign  Oflice,  and  tlie  groundless  appi'ehensions  which 
Thiers  entertained  upon  that  subject,  you  had  the  opportunity, 
as  I  am  sure  you  had  the  good  will,  of  removing  any  annoy- 
ance which  a  parcel  of  stupid  newspaper  articles  (written  pro- 
bably for  tliat  purpose)  respecting  himself  and  me  might  have 
occasioned  last  week.  IMy  firm  belief  is  that  energy  such  as 
Palmcrston's  is  at  this  moment  greatly  needed  at  the  Foreign 
Office,  and  that  it  would  tend,  far  more  than  the  present  sys- 
tem, to  an  entente  really  cordial  between  us  and  France.  I 
liave  over  and  over  again  told  Lord  Aberdeen  that  his  pre- 
dilection for  Guizot,  and  consequent  partisansliip  in  France 
was  endangering  the  peaceful  relations  between  the  two  coun- 
tries ;  because,  on  the  one  hand,  it  rendered  hostility  to  Fng- 
land  a  natural  and  necessary  weapon  of  attack  against  Guizot, 
and,  on  the  other,  this  imposed  on  him  the  obligation  to 
'*^  faire  des  niches  a  rAngleterre,'"  in   order  to   prove   his  inde- 


206 


THE    LIFE    OP   SIR   ANTHONY    PANIZZI 


pendcnce   and   keep   his  portcfeuille.     It  was  impossible  for 
Lord  John  to  do  without  Pahnerston,  and  equally  so  to  expect 
he  would  siubmlt  to  take  any  other  ofHce  than  the   Foreign  at 
the  presumptuous   dictation  of  that  mauvais  coucheur,   Lord 
Grey.     With  respect  to   Ellicc,   I  believe  that  the  "  out   of 
doors  "  calumnies  are  groundless.     He  is  as  incapable  of  wil- 
fully concealing  anything  it  was  his  duty  to  have   communi- 
cated as  I  feel  I  should  be  myself.     I  never  saw  more  efficient 
zeal  than  he  manifested  throughout  the  whole  of  the  transac- 
tions  ;  and,  as  I  was  present  when  he  heard  from  Lord  John 
of  the  objection  raised  by  Lord  Grey,  and  was  witness  to  thc^ 
readiness  with  which  he   volunteered  to   go  and  bring  him  to- 
reason,   it  is  impossible  to  suppose  he   was  playing  a  double 
part  ;  but  he  ought  to  be  made  acquainted  with  these   reports, 
and  I  am  sure  he  will  have  no  difficulty  in  effectually  disprov- 
ino-  them.     The  reason  upon  which  the  embryo  Government 
was  broken  up  Avill,  I  am  afraid,  appear  invalid  and  insufficient 
to  the  public  ;  but,  for  my  own  part,  I  cannot  regret  the  re- 
sult.    The  undertaking  was  too  vast  for  the  slender  m^eans 
upon  which  Lord  John  could  rely  for  success  ;  he  could  only 
hope  for  a  doubtful  and  unlicarty  support  ;  but,  having  once- 
embarked  in  the  struggle,  he  would  have  been  held  respon- 
sible for  all  the  consequences  of  failure.     After  a  time,  how- 
ever, 1  am  sure  that  the  country  will  be  glad  that  the  measure 
should  remain  in  the  hands  of  the  only  man  capable  of  carry- 
ing it,  and,  deal  with  it  as  he  may,  he  must  advance  Liberal 
principles,  and  must  break  up  his  party. 

Ever  yours  truly. 

Clarendon," 

These  are  strong  denunciations,  strongly  expressed  ;; 
yet,  no  doubt,  Lord  Clarendon  felt  keenly  that  Lord 
Aberdeen's  "  predilection  "  for  Guizot  was  "  endanger- 
ing the  peaceful  relations"  between  England  and 
France,  and  his  laudation  of  Lord  Palmerston  bears, 
equal  proof  of  tlie  sincerity  of  his  impressions. 


SPANISH    MARRIAGES  207 

Be  it  said,  with  all  submission,  that  Ave  might 
have  gone  further  with  Lord  Aberdeen  and  fared 
worse. 

It  is  perfectly  true  that  the  vigour  and  decision  of 
character  so  conspicuous  in  Lord  Palmerston  was  not 
invariably  to  be  found  in  Lord  Aberdeen.  Still,  if 
there  was  vigour,  there  was  also  a  certain  amount  of 
violence  occasionally  apparent  in  the  policy  of  tlic 
former.  Granting  fully  that  Lord  Palmerston  might, 
by  a  more  decided  show  of  opposition  than  was 
offered  by  his  predecessor  in  office,  have  crushed  the 
Sj)anish  Marriages  plot  in  its  inception,  aiid  grant- 
ing all  that  is  said  in  Lord  Clarendon  s  letter  as  to 
the  effisct  likely  to  be  produced  by  Lord  Aberdeen's 
course  of  action  (or  inaction)  on  the  "  entente  fior- 
diale,'''  we  may  be  allowed  to  suspect  that,  under 
then  existing  circumstances,  a  peril  of  a  different 
kind,  and  a  more  serious,  miglit  have  arisen  from 
direct  interference  on  the  part  of  the  English  Govern- 
ment ;  and  that  the  coldness  between  the  two  coun- 
tries, already  caused  by  the  audacity  and  double- 
dealing  of  the  King  of  the  French  and  his  minister, 
might  have  been  exchanged  for  a  more  acrid  feeling, 
possibly  even  subversive  of  the  peace  still  subsisting 
between  England  and  France,  and  involving  even  the 
peace  of  Europe. 

It  only  remains  to  be  noted  here  that  the  effect  of 
the  underhand  policy  pursued  all  along  by  the  French 
Government  AAas  the  simultaneous  marriages  of 
'Queen  Isabella  to  Don  Francisco  d'Assise,  and  of  her 
sister,  the  Infanta  Luisa  Fernanda,  to  the  Duke  do 
Montpensier,  on  the   lOtli  of  October,   1S4G.     The 


208  THE   LIFE    OF   SIR  ANTHONY   PANIZZI 

diplomatic  correspondence  on  the  subject  ceased  soon 
after  that  event. 

The  following  is  the  first  letter  written  by  Thiers: 
to  Panizzi  on  the  important  question : — 

"  Lille,  le  26  OctoLre,  1846. 

"  Mon  cher  Panizzi, — 

Voila  bien  longtcinps  que  je  ne  vous  ai  donne 
de  mes  nouvelles,  et  quo  je  n'ai  repu  des  votres.  Je  n'ai  pas 
Ol^]inairement  grand'chose  a  vous  dire;  je  suis  occupe,  vous 
I'etes,  et  c'est  une  explication  suffisante  d'un  silence  qui  n'est  et 
ne  sera  jamais  de  I'oubli.  Cc  que  vous  aviez  prevu  est  arrive* 
Les  Whigs  sont  an  pouvoir,  et  je  souhaite  qu'ils  y  restent. 
Mais  que  vient-il  done  d'arriver  eiUre  nos  deux  pays?  Ce- 
nouvel  incident  m'afllige  tres-viveinent,  car  je  ne  vois  de- 
politique  veritablemcnt  bonne  que  dans  I'union  de  la  France  et 
de  I'Angleterr-c.  Hors  de  la,  il  n'y  a  de  triomphe  que  pour  les 
oppresscurs  des  peuples  et  de  I'esprit  humain.  Peut-etre,  a 
force  de  fautes,  serons-nous  obliges,  les  uns  et  les  autres,  de- 
nous  appuyer  sur  des  amis  qui  ne  seront  pas  les  meilleurs,  mais 
ce  sera  un  malheur  veritable.  J'etais  pour  le  maintien  do 
Falliance  meme  avec  les  Tories,  a  plus  (orte  raison  avec  lc& 
Whigs.  Le  jour  oil  Lord  Pahnerston,  parlant  tres-noblemcnt 
dela  Pologne,  a  dit  quo  si  les  traites  de  1815  n'etaient  pas. 
respectes  sur  Ic  Danube  ils  cesscraient  d'etre  respectables  sur  Ic 
Khin,  il  a  fait  ressortir  toute  I'utilite,  toute  la  fecondite  d& 
ralliuncc  dc  la  France  avec  I'An^lcterrc  sous  les  Whiirs. 

Pour  moi,  je  deplore  qu'on  ait  choisi  ce  moment  pour  se- 
brouillcr.  Jc  n'aiinc  pas  a  fairo  des  concessions  aux  depens  de- 
mon pays,  mais  le  jour  ou  un  Ministre  de  I'Angleterre  parle  dc 
la  sorte,  et  rompt  si  ouvcrtement  avec  la  coalition  Europeenne,. 
ce  jour-la  jc  serais  plus  dispose  a  faire  des  concessions  a  aucuu 
autre.  ]\Iais  rompre  pour  un  mariage,  quand  I'Angleterre 
n'insistait  pas  pour  un  Cobourg,  me  confond ! 

Cependant  il  faut  savoir  la  verlte.  II  circule  les  versions  lea 
plus  contradictoires.     La  Princesse  de  Lieven  jette  tout  sur  les. 


THIEKS  209- 

Whigs,  et  dit,  dans  son  salon,  que  rien  de  pareil  n'aurait  eii 
lieu  avec  Lord  Aberdeen.  M.  Guizot  fait  dire  que  Lord  Pal- 
morston  a  manque  aux  engagements  pris,  et  qu'il  a,  des  lors, 
ete  delie  dc  ceux  qui  avaient  ete  contractes  a  Eu.  Voycz 
Lord  Palmerston,  puisquc  vous  etes  lie  avec  lui;  dites-lul  do 
vous  communiquer  a  vous,  et  pour  moi,  la  verite  pure.  H  ne 
faut  me  dire  que  des  fiiits  d'une  exactitufle  incontestable. 

Le  danger  de  la  situation,  c'est  que  Ic  ministere  va  jou3r  le 
jeu  odieux  qu'il  reprochait  a  I'oppositioii,  et  que  pour  m?  part 
je  n'ai  jamais  voulu  jouer,  celui  d'exciter  le  sentiment  populaire 
contre  I'Angleterre.  Si  le  Cabinet  Britanaique  a  eu  des  torts, 
ce  jeu  sera  facile.  II  faut  done  savoir  ex-tcteinent  la  verite,  et 
dans  ces  choses-la  il  ne  sert  guere  de  la  dissimuler,  car  elle  res- 
sort  bien  vite  des  documents.  Voici  la  question  sur  laquelle  il 
faut  etre  exactement  fixe. 

Quels  engagements  avait-onpris  veciproquement  a  Eu? 

Etait'On  bien  convenu  de  renoncer  a  un  Cobourg,  et  de  ne 
marier  le  Due  de  Montpensicr  a  I'infante  qu'apres  que  la  reine 
aurait  eu  des  enfints? 

Serait-il  vrai  que  la  diplomatic  Anglaise  agissait  a  Madrid 
contrairement  a  ce  double  enci;a2;ement?  Que  des  lors  le 
Cabinet  Fran^ais  aurait  pu  se  croire  degage? 

Est-il  vrai  que  M.  Gfuizot  aurait  adresse  a  Lord  Palir  srston. 
une  depeche  lui  annonpant  sos  nouveaux  projcts,  lui  declarant 
qu'il  se  considerait  comme  libre,  et  que  Lord  Palmerston  serait 
domeure  plus  d'un  mois  sans  repondre? 

Voila  des  points  sur  Icsquels  il  faut  bien  savoir  la  verite. 

Tachez  de  savoir  ce  qu'il  y  a  de  vrai  dans  ce  qui  s'est  pagje 
a  Madrid. 

Je  de:^ire  avoir  un  historlque  complct  et  vrai  de  toute 
I'afFaire.  Je  desire  savoir  aussi  comment  I'Angleterre  pose 
aujourd'hui  la  question,  et  oij  git  la  difficulte  entre  les  deux 
pays.  Y  a-t-il  une  solution  raisonnable,  egalement  honorable 
pour  les  deux  Cabinets  ? 

Comment  les  Tories  prcnncnt-ils  la  question.^  En  font-ils 
une  affaire   de  parti  contre  les  Whigs,  ou  bien  une  affaire  du 


210  THE    LIFE    OF   SIR   ANTHONY   TANIZZI 

pays,  commune  a  tous?  Enfin,  quel  est  ravenir  de  votre 
politique  intericure?  Lord  John  Russell  se  maintiendra-t-il? 
Pour  moi,  je  fais  des  vocux  en  favour  des  Whigs.  Je  suis 
revolutionnaire  (dans  le  bon  sens  du  mot)  et  jc  souliaite  en  tout 
pays  le  succes  de  mes  analogues.  Adieu,  et  mille  amities.  Jc 
vous  prie  dc  m'ecrire  pas  moins  que  vingt  pages  sur  tout  cela, 
Comme  je  n'aime  pas  que  Ton  colporte  mes  lettres,  je  vous  prie 
de  garder  celle-ci  pour  vous  et  de  me  repondrc  par  la  poste,  ou 
a  Lille  jusqu'au  25  Octohi'e,  ou  a  Paris  si  vous  mettez  votrc 
lettre  a  la  boite  passe  le  25.  Je  crois  que  la  poste  seulc  est 
sure.     Adieu  encore,  et  mille  amities, 

A.  Thiers. 
Lille  (D^'partement  du  Nord.)'* 

To  this  Panizzi  replied  in  a  letter  which,  for  its 
detailed  and  lucid  statement  of  facts,  may  really  be 
looked  upon  as  a  useful  work  of  reference.  Nor  will 
the  reader,  we  imagine,  be  inclmed  to  think  the  com- 
ments of  the  writer  on  the  doings  of  Guizot  and  of 
his  accomplice  (for  so  we  will  venture  to  call  him), 
Count  Bresson,  French  Minister  at  Madrid,  one  whiu 
►too  severe : —  - 

Nov.,  1846. 

Mon  cher  Monsieur  et  Ami, 

Les  pieces  que  vous  trouvcrez  ci-jointes  ont  ete  im- 
primees  pour  etre  porte'es  a  la  connaissance  des  legations 
britanniques  a  I'etranger:  j'ai  eu  le  bonheur  de  m'en  procurer 
un  exemplaire  que  j'ai  le  plaisir  de  vous  envoyer,  avec  la 
certitude  que  vous  en  ferez  im  usage  reserve,  et  qu'elles  vous 
mettront  a  memo  de  juger  la  conduite  des  deux  Gouverne- 
ments  Francais  et  Anglais;  par  la  date  de  la  derniere  depeche, 
vous  verrez  que  je  nc  pouvais  pas  vous  les  envoyer  plus  tot. 

J'ajouterai  aux  faits  principaux,  que  vous  trouverez  con- 
■signes  d'une  maniere  authentique  dans  ces  pieces,  le  recit  de 
•quelques  autres  circonstances,  sinon  tout  a  fait  aussi  impor- 


SPANISH    MARRIAGES  211 

tantes  a  connaitrc,  an  moins  tres-Intere?santes,  et  sur  I'authenti- 
cite  dcsquclles  vous  pouvez  egaleinent  compter. 

Cc  fat  en  1842  que  le  roi  envoya  vers  le  Gouvernement 
Anglais  le  ]Murechal  SebastianI,  pour  obtenir  son  consentemcnt 
aw  mariage  dc  la  Reine  d'Espagne  avec  iin  descendant  de 
Philippe  V.  Lc  Roi  tcnait  beaucoup  a  persuader  a  ce 
Gouvernement  que  la  France  ne  lui  pardonncrait  jamais  de 
permettre  un  mariage  quelconque  dont  rcffet  serait  de  fldre 
monter  sur  le  trone  d'Espagne  tout  autre  que  le  descendant 
d'un  Bourbon  de  la  branclie  Espagnole.  Le  Gouvernement 
Anglais,  des  lors,  adopta  la  ligne  de  politique  de  laquelle  il  ne 
s'est  jamais  ecarte  apres:  II  exprima  son  indifference  a  ce 
que  la  Eeine  choisit  son  epoux  parmi  non-seulement  les  princes 
issus  de  Philippe  V.,  mais  de  toute  autre  maison  qui  aurait 
€te  plus  agreable  a  S.  M.  Catholique  et  a  son  peuple,  excepte 
seulcment  un  Prince  Franf!ais.  En  so  limitant  a  un  descendant 
de  Philippe  V.,  le  Koi  excluait,  par  ccla  meme,  scs  propres 
infants  aussi  bien  que  ceux  des  autres  maisons  princleres;  le 
Gouvernement  Anglais,  au  contraire,  limitait  scs  objections 
aux  premiers  seulcment. 

Pendant  toutes  les  negociatlons  qui  eurentlieUjSoital'egard 
«du  Comte  de  Trapani  que  de  Montemolin,  la  conduite  de 
I'Ancrleterrc  ne  s'est  jamais  dementle. 

Lors  de  la  vlsite  de  la  Reine  d'Angleterre  au  Chateau  d'Eu, 
■en  1845,  S.  M.  Britannique  aussi  bien  que  Lord  Aberdeen  ac- 
■cepterent  la  proposition  ibrmelle  ct  absolue,  qui  Icur  fut  faite 
par  le  roi  ct  son  ministre  de  leur  propre  gre,  a  savoir  :  que  la 
Heine  d'Espagne  n'epouserait  pas  un  enfant  de  France  (est-cc 
que  cette  phrase  f'eodale  vous  fait  frissonner),  et  que  dans  tout 
cas  le  Due  de  Montpensier  n'epouserait  pas  I'lnfante  avant  que 
la  Reine  sa  sccur  n'eut  mis  au  monde  DES  ENFANTS  (au 
pluiiel).  Isi  la  Reine  Victoria  ni  Jjord  Aberdeen  se  lierent  plus 
qu'ils  ne  I'etaient  auparavant,  soit  a  limiter  le  choix  dc  la 
Reine  d'Espagne  a,  un  descendant  de  Philippe  V.,  a  qui  le  Roi 
des  Franpais  tcnait  toujours,  soit  a,  admcttrc  que  I'lnfante 
•epouserait — meme  apres  que  la  condition  proposee  par  Louis 
P 


212  THE    LIFE    OF   SIR   ANTHONY    P.\NIZZI 

Philippe  et  son  Minlstre  aurait  ete  remplie  —  le  Due  de- 
Montpensler,  sans  objection  de  la  part  de  I'Angleterre.  Lord 
Abei'deen  admettait  implicitement  que  ce  mariage  serait  I'objct 
de  negociations  ulterleures,  apres  que  la  Eelne  Isabelle  eut  eu 
des  enfants  ;  il  ajoiita  memo  en  propres  termes  que  cette  con- 
dition prealable  diminuait  ies  objections  du  Gouvernement 
Anglais;  ce  qui  veut  dire  que  Ton  en  avail  encore.  Lord 
Aberdeen  fit  part  de  ce  qui  s'etait  passe  a  Sir  K.  Peel,  qui 
approuva  particulierement  la  reserve  que  son  collogue  Ministre 
des  AlFaires  etranfjeres  avait  mise  dans  sa  conduite.  Je  vous 
dis  cela  pour  vous  mettre  a  ineine  de  juger  de  runifbnnite  des 
vues  des  homraes  d'Etat  de  lAngleterre  sur  cette  question. 

11  parait  que,  peu  de  temps  apres,  la  Rcine  Christine  s'etant 
querellee  avec  Louis-Philippe  ou  bien  en  ayant  fait  mine,  se 
d6terinina  a  marier  la  Eeine  Isabelle  avec  le  Prince  de 
Cobourg. 

Je  crois  que  Christine  n'etait  que  Tagent  de  Louis-Philippe, 
qui  voulait  fane  tomber  le  Vjiouvcrnement  Anglais  dans  un 
piege,  pour  avoir  un  pretexte  de  briser  sa  parole,  alleguant  que 
le  Couvernement  Anglais  fiivorlsait  sous  main  le  mariage  de  la 
reine  a  un  autre  prince  qu'un  descendant  de  Philippe  V^. 
Mais,  de  bonne  foi  ou  non,  le  fait  est  que  Christine  mit  sur  le 
tapis  le  mariage  (,'obourg.  Les  pieces  ci-jointes  entrent  dans 
des  details  tres-importants  sur  cet  episode.  Le  Gouvernement 
Franpais  fut  averti,  avec  la  plus  grande  franchise,  de  ce  qui  se 
passait  par  Lord  Aberdeen.  M  Bulwer  lui  avait  ecrit  que 
Christine  I'avait  envoye  chercher  et  I'avait  prie  de  lui 
donner  son  avis  sur  la  redaction  d'une  lettrc  quelle  le  cliaro-ea 
de  vouloir  bien  envoyer  au  Prince  de  Cobourg  alors  a  Lis- 
bonne,  a  qui  clle  allait  proposer  sa  fille  ainee  en  maria"-e.  M.. 
Bulwer  avait  de  bonne  foi  donne  I'avis  qu'on  lui  avait 
demande  et  s'etait  charge  do  la  lettre,  comme  ami  et  non  pas 
comme  Ministre  d'Angleterre.  Non-seulement  Lord  Aberdeen 
informa  M.  de  Sainte-Aulaire  sur-le-champ  de  ce  qu'il  venait 
d'apprendre,  non-seulement  il  donna  des  ordres  positifs  a  M.. 
Bulwer,  de  se  garder  bien  de  toute  demarche  qui  pouvait  faire 


SPANISH     MARRIAGES  213 

croire  que  I'Angleterre  avait  la  molndre  preference  pour  le- 
Prlnce  de  Cobourg,  mais  il  desapprouva  la  conduite  de  M. 
Bui wer  duns  cette  occasion  en  termes  si  severes  que  M.  Bulwer 
en  fut  bles!ie  au  point  d'envoyer  sa  demission  de  Madrid,  que 
Lord  Aberdeen  ne  crut  pas  a  propos  d'acceptcr. 

M.  Bresson  se  permit  de  reproclier  aux  ministres  espagnols 
(et,  je  crois,  a  Christine  elle-meme)  leur  conduite  d'une 
maniere  qu'on  aurtut  eu  droit  d  attendre  plutot  d'un  caporal  de 
la  vieille  garde,  que  d'un  representant  de  Louis- Philippe ;  il 
alia  jusqu'a  inenMcer  le  Gouvernement  Espagnol  d'une  declara- 
tion de  guerre,  si  la  reine  epousait  autre  qu'un  prince  approuve 
par  Louis-l*hillppe.  Ce  pauvre  Isturiz  en  informa  en  trera- 
blant  Lord  Aberdeen,  qui  repondit  par  une  lettre  de  25  Juin 
dont  on  parle  dans  la  depeche  de  Lord  Palmerston  du  31 
Octobre(p.  19).  JVspere  pouvoir  vous  en  envoyer  une  copie. 
Cependanr,  Istuiiz  lui-nieme  etait  un  des  principaux  agents 
dans  cctte  intrigue.  A  Madrid,  des  amis  tres-intimes  de  Chris- 
tine firent  tout  ce  qui  leur  fut  possible  pour  engager  le  Gou- 
vernement Aiiglai<iase  declarer  pour  le  Prince  de  Cobourg:  on 
ofFiit  carte  blanche  a  I'Angleterre  pour  qu'elle  mit  le  prix 
qu'elle  jugeiaii  convenable  a  la  concession  de  son  appui.  A 
peine  le  minittere  actuel  avait  ete  forme  a  Londres,  qu'Isturiz 
s'adressa  non  oHicielleinent  a  une  de  scs  connaissatices,  qui  en 
fait  part,  pour  le  prier  de  faire  tout  ce  qu'il  pouvait  pour  ces 
noces  Cobourg,  la  oonclusion  desquelles,  disait-il,  dependait 
absolument  de  I'Angleterre  ;  mais  ni  Lord  Palmerston ni  I'autre 
ministre  ne  voulurent  entendre  parler  de  cela  ;  on  se  declara 
toujours  neutre  et  iiuliflerent. 

Dans  la  premiere  page  de  la  premiere  depeche  de  Lord  Pal- 
merston, on  parle  d'une  depeche  du  19  Juillet,  a  laquelle  on 
fait  encore  allusion,  soit  par  M  Guizot  (pag.  9),  soit  par  Lord 
Palmerston  dans  sa  seconde  depeche  (pag.  16),  et  dont  MM. 
Guizot  et  Bresson  ont  fait  un  usafre  indigrne,  comme  vous 
verrez  par  les  pieces  imprimees.  Vous  en  recevi'ez,  je  me  flatte, 
un3  copie  sous  pen  de  jours.  Afin  que  vousjugiez  de  I'etendue 
<le  cette  indiguiie  ct  du  pcu  de  conliance  que  Ton  pcut  placer 

p2 


2  J  4  THE    LIFE    OF   SIR   ANTHONY    PANIZZI 

dans  la  parole  de  votre  ministre  dcs  Affnrcs  etrang^rcs,  il  faut 
que  vous  sacliicz  que  la  scconde  pavtic  de  cette  depeche  con- 
tenait  des  observations  sur  la  conduite  illerrale,  inconstitution- 
nelle  et  dcppotique  du  Gouvernement  Espagnol,  M.  de  Jarnac, 
cliaro-e  d'alluires  du  roi  dcs  barricades,  desapprouva  ces  obser- 
vations, et  si  M.  Bresson  n'a  pas  fait  un  usage  public  ct  ofliclcl 
d'un  document  si  confidentiel,  comme  M.  Guizot  dit,  il  s'en  est 
au  moins  servi  en  cacliette  pour  faire  du  tort  a  un  Gouverne- 
ment liberal  qui  avait  confie  la  depeche  a  I'honneur  d'un 
ministre  ami,  aupres  du  Gouvernement  auquel  cette  depeclie  ne 
devait  pas  etre  connue.     (Ju'en  dites-vous,  revolutionnaire  ? 

La  depeclie  dc  Lord  Palmcrston  du  22  Septeinbre  fut  com- 
muniquee  a.  M.  Guizot  le  25  du  memo  mois  par  Lord  Nor- 
manby,  qui  etait  pret  a  en  discuter  la  substance.  En  lui 
annoncant  les  mariages  dc  la  Eeine  d'Espagne  et  de  sa  soiur 
quelques  jours  auparavant,  M.  Guizot  avait  promis  a  Lord  Nor- 
manby  que  les  mariages,  quoique  annonces  en  meme  temps, 
n'auraient  pas  lieu  en  meme  temps.  Lord  Normanby  exprima 
grand  plaisir  en  apprenant  cette  determination  de  votre 
Gouvernement,  et  cela  donnait  quclque  lueur  d'esperance  que 
Ton  pourniit  encore  I'entendre  quant  au  mariage  de  I'lnfante. 
II  en  fit  part  au  Gouvernement  Anglais,  ayant  pris  d'abord  la 
precaution  de  faire  lire  sa  depeche  a  M.  Guizot.  Apres  avoir 
lu  la  depeche  du  22  Septembre,  M.  Guizot  observa  a  Lord 
Normanby  qu'une  telle  piece  meritait  toute  I'attention  du 
Gouvernement  Fran^ais,  et  qu'il  ne  se  sentait  pas  autorise  a  en 
discuter  le  contenu,  avant  que  d'avoir  pris  les  ordrcs  du  Eoi. 
Lord  Kormanby  observa  que,  dans  ce  cas,  il  se  flattalt  que  le 
depart  du  Due  de  Montpensier,  pour  Madrid,  serait  ajourne. 
M.  Guizot  re-pondit  que  les  mariages  etant  irrevocablement 
arretes  pour  le  10  Octobre,  il  fallait  absolument  que  S.  A.  R. 
partit  le  jour  fixe.  Les  mariages !  ajouta  Lord  Normanby, 
'  vous  voulez  dire  celui  de  la  Eeine  ! — Non,  non,  de  la  Eeine  et  de 
sa  soeur,'  repliqua  M.  Guizot.  Lord  Kormanby  rappelle  Ji  M. 
Guizot  sa  promesse  que  les  mariages  seraient  annonces,  mais 
n'auraient  pas  lieu  en  meme  temps.     Le  Ministre  des  Affaires 


ENGLISH    POLICY  21-> 

etrangeres  taclie  d'abord  d'oubllcr  sa  promessG  ;  mais  comme 
cette  pauvre  ressource  ne  lui  reussltpas,  il  conclut:  '  D'ailleurs, 
les  deux  manages  ne  seront  pas  celebres  en  ineme  temps  :  la 
reine  sera  mariee  la  premiere.  Vous  n'avez  pas  encore  reussi 
a  chasscr  tous  les  Jesultes  de  France :  c'esfc  a  vous,  mon  ami, 
u  leur  iaire  quitter  au  moins  1' Hotel  des  Afialres  etrangeres,  et  a 
envoyer  leurs  maximcs  apres  eux. 

Le  Marquis  de  Lansdowne,  en  lisant  la  depecTie  de  Lord 
Normanby,  qui  rendait  compte  de  ce  tour  de  passe-passe  de 
M.  Guizot,  en  fut  si  etonne,  que  le  papier  lui  tomba  de& 
mains :  il  pouvait  a  peine  croire  a  ses  propres  yeux,  lui  qui 
avait  si  frequemment  entendu  M.  Guizot  sermonner  sur  la 
bonne  foi  et  la  droiture  en  politique  qui  le  possedaient,  et 
qui  avait  jusque  la  pris  M.  Guizot  au  serieux. 

Ce  qui  se  passa,  lorsque  Lord  Palmerston  donna  communi- 
cation de  cette  depeche  a  ]\I.  de  Jarnac,  merite  toute  votre 
attention.  Les  Wiiigs  entrerent  au  ministere  au  commence- 
ment de  Juillet.  Lord  Palmerston  eut  a  etre  reelu  d'abord, 
et  ne  fut  proprement  installe  qu'apres  le  milieu  de  ce  mois. 
Le  20  Juillet,  M.  de  Jarnac  eut  sa  premiere  entrevue,  pour 
affaires,  avec  Lord  Palmerston,  qui  lui  dit  que  le  Gouverne- 
ment  n'avait  encore  pu  donner  a  la  question  du  mariage  de 
la  Keine  d'Espagne  toute  I'attention  qu'elle  meritait : — que 
cependant  lui.  Lord  Palmerston,  aussi  bien  que  ceux  de  ses 
collegues  auxquels  il  en  avait  parle,  nommement  Lord  Lans- 
downe,  Lord  Clarendon,  et,  avant  tout,  Lord  John  Eussell, 
etaient  du  meme  avis  que  Lord  Aberdeen ;  que  Ton  ne  verrait 
pas  de  bon  ceil  le  mariage  de  la  Reine  avec  un  fils  du  Eoi 
des  Franpais  ;  mais  que,  quant  aux  autres  candidats,  on  etait 
indifferent.  Lord  Palmerston  ajouta  que  le  Comte  de  Jarnac 
verrait  toute  la  pensee  du  Gouvernement,  autant  que  lui, 
Lord  Palmerston,  pouvait  en  juger,  en  lisant  la  depeche  qu'il 
allait  lui  communiquor,  envoyee  le  jour  precedent  a  M.  Buhver. 
C'etait  la  depeche  du  19  Juillet.  Comme  M.  de  Jarnac 
commenfa  par  se  plaindre  de  ce  que  Ton  mettait  sur  la 
meme  ligne  le  Prince  de  Cobourg  et  les  Infants  Don  Enrique 


21 G  THE    LIFE   or   SIR  ANTHONY    TANIZZI 

■et  Don  Francisco,  Lord   Palraerston   observa,  entre    autres 
choses,    que   le  Prince  de  Cobourg  pouvait    etre  considere 
plutot  trop  lie  a  la  France   qu  a  I'Angleterre,  et  que  s'il  y 
avait  quelqu'un  qui  avait  droit  de  s'opposer  a  ses  noees  avec 
Isabelle  II.,  ce  serait  bien  I'Angleterre.     M.  de  Jarnae  tira 
alors  de  sa  poche  une  lettre  tout  a  fait  privee  de  M.  Guizot, 
qui   le    priait   de   tacher   de   persuader   au   Gouvernement 
Anglais  de  recommander  les  deux  Pi'inces  Espagnols  exclu- 
sivement.     Lord  Palmerston  dit  que  si  Ton  se  deterininait  a. 
donner  la  preference   a  quelqu'un,  ce  serait  toujours  a  Don 
Enrique.     INI.  de  Jarnae  se  montra  tres-content  de  cela.     M. 
Ouizot  paraissait  etre  dans  les  memes  sentiments  a,  Paris  et 
s'en  exprima  ainsi  a,  Lord   Normanby.     C'est  a  cette  lettre 
ecrite    par   lui   a   M.    de    Jarnae,    lettre  qui  n'avait   aucun 
■caractere  ofliciel,  qui  ne  fut  pas  consideree  officielle,  dont  on 
ne  donna  point  de  copie  au  Ministre  Anglais,  que  M.  Guizot 
fait  allusion,  lorsqu'il   dit  (pag.  7)  qu'au  mois  de  Juillet  il 
avait  propose  au  Cabinet  de  Londres  d'agir  de  concert,  pour 
se  plaindre  peu  apres  que  Lord  Palmerston  ne  lui  repondit 
que  plus  d'an  mois  apres  a  cette  proposition.     La  proposi- 
tion, si  e'en  etait  une,  etait  une  proposition  verbale,  et  M.  de 
Jarnae  reput  de  Lord  Palmerston,  au  moment  meme  qu'il  la 
fit,  une  reponse  de  la  meme  nature,  c'est-a-dire  verbale.     Ce 
ne    fut    qu'apres   avoir  ete  encore  invite  a  joindre  ses   de- 
marches a  celles  du  Gouvernement  Franpais,  pres  la  Cour  de 
Madrid,  en  faveur  des  deux  Infants,  que  Lord  Palmerston 
deciara,  comme  Lord  Aberdeen  avait  fait  precedemment,  que 
I'Angleterre  considerait  Don  Enrique  celui  des  princes  qui 
convenait  a  la  Peine.     La  raison  en  etait  que  M.  Isturiz   et 
les  Minisfres  Espagnols,  aussi  bien  que  les  agents  Franpais, 
B'etaient  beaucoup  egayes  sur  le  compte  de  Don  Francisco  en 
le  peignant  impuissant,  sans   esprit  et  liai  par  la  Peine,  qui 
s'en  moquait.     On  alia  meme  jusqu'a  se  vanter,  de  la  partde 
Marie-Christine  et  de  ses  confidents,  que  Ton  avait  tout  fait 
pour  en  degouter  la  Peine  et  que  Ton  avait  reussi  a  souhait. 
Est-cc  que  des  hommes  d'honneur  pouvaient,  apres  cela,   le 


I 


ENGLISH    POLICY  217 

recommander  a  la  Reine  comme  un  mari  capable  de  la  rendre 
heureuse,  elle  et  FEspagne  ?  Ce  role  etait  reserve  a  M. 
Bresson  :  et  il  s'en  est  tire  en  homme  qui  en  etait  digne. 

La  Reine  des  Francais  tut  chargee  par  le  Roi  de  faire 
agreer  le  mariage  du  Due  de  Montpensier  a  la  Reine  Victoire  : 
mais  elle  n'y  a  pas  reussi.  S.  M.  Britannique  en  exprima 
rondement  son  opinion  a  Louis  Philippe,  qui  lui  fit  repondre 
par  la  Reine  des  Beiges.  Les  intrigants,  qui  ne  manquent 
pas  plus  dans  ce  pays-ci  que  dans  les  autres,  tachent  de  faire 
leur  mieux — et  je  crois  avec  quelque  succes — pour  faire 
changer  de  direction  a  cette  indignation  qui  du  Roi  parait  a 
present  se  tourner  en  partie  centre  M.  Guizot. 

Cette  lettre,  que  j'espere  vous  comprendrez  malgre  mon 
Franpais,  vous  sera  remise  par  un  ami  auquel  je  puis  me  fier. 
Ne  vous  Jiez  pas  a  voire  poste.  Repondez-moi  s'il  vous  plait, 
que  I'Ambassade  d'Angleterre  envoie  votre  lettre,  pour  moi, 
50US  convert,  a  Lord  Normanby  lui-meme,  qui  n'a  pas  d'idee 
4u  sujet  de  notre  correspondance,  mais  qui,  me  connaissant 
personnellement,  voudra  bien,  je  n'en  doute  pas,  avoir  la 
bonte  de  me  la  faire  parvenir. 

Dites-moi  bien  franchement  ce  que  vous  pensez  de  tout 
ceci,  et  soyez  certain  que  je  ne  manquerai  pas  de  vous  faire 
connaitre  ce  que  j'apprendrai  d'important  relativement  a 
■cette  malheureuse  aftaire. 

Adieu,  mon  cher  ami ;  croyez-moi  toujours. 

A.  Panizzi." 

Tlie  plot  nithin  a  plot,  in  favour  of  Prince  Leo- 
pold, caused  Guizot  mucti  alarm  and  discomfort. 
The  place  of  its  origin  lie  took  to  be  Lisbon,  It 
•'.vas,  he  conceived,  if  not  strongly  backed  by  British 
influence,  at  least  virtually,  though  passively,  sup- 
ported by  the  English  Cabinet.  In  this  respect,  look- 
ing on  him  as  one  Avho  was  likely  to  guage  the 
diplomacy  of  others  by  his  own  measure,  and,  more- 
over, as  being  moved  by  the  independent,  and,  it  must 


218  THE    LIFE    OF    SIR   ANTIIOXY    PANIZZI 

be  confessed,  imprudent  line  taken  at  the  time  by  the 
Eritish  Minister  at  Madrid,  he  need  not  be  too  harshly 
judged. 

Panizzi's  theory,  however,  as   to  Queen   Christina's 
part   in   the   afi'air,   seems   to   go  a  little  too  far.     To 
suppose  her  to  have  been  the  direct  agent  of  Louis- 
Philippe  in  so  ingenious  a  plot,  and   to  be   employed 
simply  in  carrying  out  his  designs,  is  to  impute  even 
too  much   cunning  and  iniquity  to  the  King   of  the 
French  (who,  it  must  be   borne  in  mind,  afterwards 
denied  categorically  any  complicity  in    the   matter), 
and    to   give    too    little    credit    for    independence    of 
character  to  the  Queen  Dowager.     There  are  many 
reasons  why  Christina,   a  born  intrigante,  at  a  dis- 
tance from   Paris,   and  in   her  own  country,  finding 
that  she  had,  for  a  time  at  least,  the  game  in  her  own 
hands,  should  have  been  inclined  to  play  it  in  her  own 
way,  give  it  an  independent  turn,   and,  at  the  same 
time,    provide    against    chances    of    failure,    without 
laying    herself    ojDen     afterwards    to    the    charge    of 
rashly  deviating  from  the  course  which  she  had  really 
come  to  Spain  to  follow.     It  requires  no  great  stretch 
of  imagination  to  conceive  any  amount  of  underhand 
dealing  on  the   part  of  the   principal    actors  in  the 
Spanish  Marriages ;    but  we   are  disposed,  after  all, 
to  take  for   truth  what    Guizot  himself  says  in   his 
*'  Memoires,"  of  this   episode   of  the  intrigue,  or  that 
which,  considering  his  position,  may  be   accepted  as 
pretty  much  the  same  thing,  what  he  firmly  believed 
to  be  the  truth.     Of  course  his  wrath  may  have  been 
simulated,  and  his  joy  at  perceiving  additional  advan- 
tages in   the    counterplot    well    concealed ;  but  that 


SPANISH    MAREIAGES  219" 

eitlier  he  or  his  master  directly  instigated  it,  may  well 
be  doubted. 

Having  received  no  answer  from  Thiers,  who,  as  he 
subsequently  says,  was  very  much  engaged  at  the 
time,  Panizzi  wrote  again,  m  continuation  of  his 
strictures  on  Guizot's  nefarious  proceedings,  in  forcing 
on  the  Montpensier  marriage ; — 

*'  Ce  14  Janvier,  1847. 
"  Mon  clier  Monsieur  et  Ami, 

Vous  etes  bien  decide  a  ne  plus  m'ecrire,  quoique 
vous  m'ayez  solennellement  promis  de  repondre  a  ma  derniere 
longue  lettre.  J'ai  remis,  d'un  jour  a  I'autre,  a  vous  eerire 
moi-meme,  attendant  toujours  de  voir  paraitre  une  lettre  de 
votre  main  a  mon  adresse ;  mais  hier,  en  recevant  le  sizieme 
volume  de  votre  Histoire,  j'ai  suppose  que  votre  silence  etait 
cause  par  vos  travaux  historiques  ;  et,  comme  je  n'ai  pas  un 
beau  volume  a  produire  qui  puisse  excuser  mon  silence,  je 
vais  le  rompre.  Ajoutez  a  cette  raison,  qui  ne  vaut  pas 
beaucoup,  que  je  viens  de  recevoir  quelques  documents  qui 
merit ent  d'etre  passes  a  votre  connaissance ;  je  me  hate  done 
de  vous  les  communiquer. 

Je  vous  ecrivis  dans  le  temps  que  le  Gouvernement  Espa- 
gnol,  efTraye  des  menaces  insolentes  de  M.  Bresson,  fit 
demander  a  Lord  Aberdeen  si  I'xVngleterre  permettrait  a 
Louis-Philippe  de  forcer  la  Peine  a  epouser  la  personne  qu'il 
plairait  au  Poi  des  Francais  de  dieter.  Je  vous  envoie  la 
reponse  de  Lord  Aberdeen  au  Due  de  Sotomayor,  Ministre 
d'Espagne  a  Londres,  datee  le  22  Juin,  1846;  par  elle  vous 
pourrez  juger  des  termes  de  la  communication  du  Gouverne- 
ment Espagnol  au  Cabinet  de  Londres. 

Dans  ma  lettre,  je  vous  promettais  aussi  de  vous  envoyer 
copie  d'une  depeche  du  19  Juillet,  1846,  adrcssee  par  Lord 
Palmerston  a  M.  Buhver,  communiqnee  confidentiellement 
par  le  Premier  a  M.  de  Jarnac,  et  dont  M.  Guizot  fit  un  usage 
si  indigne  en  la  portant  a  la  connaissance  du  Gouvernement 


220 


THE    LIFE    OF    SIR   AJSTHONY    PAJNiZZI 


Espagnol,  et  en  criant  a  I'anarchie  et  au  sans-culottisme, 
parce  qu'on  donnait  des  conseils  moderes  et  favorables  h  una 
liberie  sage  au  Gouvernement  imbecile  et  despotique  que  la 
France  (la  France  de  Juillet ! ! !)  soutient  en  Espagne.  Vous 
trouverez  ci-joint  un  extrait  de  cette  depeche.  "Vous  re- 
niarquerez  sans  doute  le  passage  dont  on  s'est  servi  comme 
preteJcte  pour  hater  le  mariage  du  Due  de  Montpensier 
C'est  parce  que  Lord  Palmerston  annonrait  un  fait, — c'est-a- 
dire  que  le  Prince  de  Saxe-Cobourg  etait  un  des  candidats 
pour  epouser  la  Peine  d'Espagne,  en  declarant  en  meme 
temps  que  TAngleterre  n'avait  aucune  preference  pour  aucun 
de  ces  candidats, — c'est  parce  que  Lord  Palmerston  annoncait 
ce  fait,  que  Ton  a  cru  devoir  faire  epouser  a  I'lnfante  le  Due 
de  Montpensier !  et  cela  apres  que  le  mariage  du  Prince  de 
Saxe-Cobourg  avec  la  Peine  ^tait  devenu  impossible,  Sa 
Majeste  ayant  deja  accepte  la  main  de  son  cousin ! 

Lord  Palmerston  a  fait  offrir  tout  dernierement  au  G  ouverne- 
ment  Francais.  par  Lord  Normanby,  une  copie  officielle  de 
ces  deux  depeclies  (22  Juin  et  19  Juillet,  1846),  afin  qu'elles 
pussent  etre  communiquees  aux  Chambres  avec  le  reste  de 
la  corres2:)ondance.  On  a  refuse  cette  oft're,  avec  la  meilleujre 
grace  et  de  la  maniere  la  plus  polie  du  monde. 

Vouz  trouverez  ci-jointes  )es  deux  dernieres  dcpeches  sir" 
cette  affaire  par  M.  Guizot  et  Lord  Palmerston.  Celle  du 
dernier,  tres-recente,  ne  me  parait  pas  trop  menager  vot«e 
successeur. 

A  present  que  j'ai  tenu  ma  parole  etquej'ai  faitce  que  vous 
na'avez  demande,  tenez  la  votre  de  votre  cote,  et  ecrivez-moi  une 
longue  lettre,  ?nais  tout  de  suite,  afin  que  je  puisse  faire  con- 
naitre  a  vos  amis  ici,  au  moment  de  la  reunion  du  Parlement 
(le  19)  la  marche  que  vous  et  vos  amis  comptez  suivre.  C'est 
en  repondant  franchement  a  la  confiance  dont  on  vous  donne 
des  preuves  si  fortes,  que  vous  en  inspirerez  davantage.  Je  ne 
puis  pas  toujours  chercher  a  penetrer  ce  que  I'on  pense,  sans 
avoir  rien  a  dire  en  rctour.  Du  reste,  vous  etes  le  meilleur 
juge  de  ce  qu'il  vous  convient  de  faire. 


SPANISH    MARRIAGES  221 

Avez-vous  vu  M.  Greville  ?  II  m'a  dit  qu'il  ir.iit  vous  voir 
■et  vous  saluer  de  ma  part.  J'apprends,  par  le  Times  du  12, 
qu'on  le  suppose  charge  d'une  negociation  non  oflEicielle  pour 
renouveler  I'entente  cordials.  La  derniere  lettre  de  Lord  Pal- 
merston  a  ete  ecrite  apres  le  depart  de  ]M.  Greville.  M.  Grreville 
est  alle  a  Paris  pour  complaire  aux  invitations  tres-urgentes  de 
Mme  de  Lieven.  Comrae  le  Times  disait  que  M.  Greville 
est  '  I'ami  intime  de  M.  Thiers,'  est-il  alle  a  Paris  pour  vous 
faire  donner  '  I'accolade  fraternelle  '  a  M.  Guizot  ?  Ecrivez- 
moi  ce  que  vous  pensez  de  cela ;  dites-moi  si  vous  avez  beau- 
■coup  cause  avec  M.  Grreville  de  cette  aflfaire  et  ce  qu'il  en 
pense.  Tout  ceci  m'interesse  beaucoup.  C'est  inutile  de 
repeter  que  vos  lettres,  comme  les  miennes,  sont  stricte- 
ment  confidentielles.  Eappelez-vous  bien  de  n'envoyer  votre 
reponse  que  sous  couverte  directement  a  Lord  Normanhy. 
•Croyez-moi  toujours.  A.  Panizzi."' 

Mons.  Guizot,  though  successful  in  the  end,  was 
luiable  to  carry  out  his  design  for  marrying  the  Queen 
of  Spain,  after  his  own  and  his  master's  mind,  within 
the  space  of  a  few  weeks  or  months.  Some  years 
ehipsed  ere  the  slow  course  of  the  S])anish  Mar- 
riages reached  its  climax.  INIeanwhile,  a  great  poli- 
tical incident  liad  occurred  in  this  country.  In  the 
summer  of  1846  Sir  Robert  Peers  ministry  had  re- 
signed. Lord  Palmerston  had  succeeded  Lord  Aber- 
deen at  the  Foreign  Office.  The  new  Foreign 
Minister  continued,  with  respect  to  the  Spanish  in- 
trigue, his  predecessor's  line  of  conduct  throughout, 
albeit  his  expressions  of  indignation  at  Guizot's 
duplicity  may  have  been  a  little  stronger  and  sterner 
than  Lord  Aberdeen's.  For  this,  however,  it  must  be 
allowed  that,  as  the  affair  progressed,  there  was 
-ample  reason. 

By  this  time  the  list  of  candidates  for  the  Queen's 


222  THE   LIFE  OF  SIR   ANTHONY    PANIZZI 

hand  had  been  considerably  reduced.  There  re- 
mained but  two  within  the  imncijple  of  the  descen- 
dants of  Philip  v.,  the  Duke  of  Cadiz,  and  his 
brother,  Don  Enrique,  Duke  of  Seville.  To  the  last 
of  these,  Lord  Palmeiston,  but  simply  as  an  outsider,. 
gave  the  preference,  as  the  only  Spanish  Prince  who- 
is  Jit,  ly  Ms  personal  qualities,  to  he  the  Queens  hus- 
band. Don  Enrique,  however,  was  a  little  too 
liberal  and  progressive  in  his  principles  to  be  accepted 
by  the  opposite  party.  Finally,  after  a  long  course 
of  unseemly  manoeuvring  and  double-dealing,  the 
marriage  of  Queen  Isabella  with  Francis,  Duke  of 
Cadiz,  was  brought  about,  and  at  the  same  time,  by  a 
violation  of  good  faith,  such  as  blushing  history  has 
seldom  had  to  record,  the  Duke  de  Montpensier's 
marriage  with  the  Infanta  took  j)lace. 

An  excellent  commentary  on  the  various  phases  of 
this  wretched  intrigue,  and  on  the  conduct  of  those 
concerned  in  it,  will  be  found  in  the  subjoined  cor- 
respondence between  Thiers  and  Panizzi.  In  answer 
to  the  charges  brought  by  the  latter  against  Guizot, 
Thiers  replies  with  very  summary  treatment  of  the 
French  Minister,  both  politically  and  personally. 
The  sketch  of  Louis-Philippe's  character,  in  the  first 
quoted  of  these  letters,  is  admirably  drawn.  The 
policy,  however,  of  the  great  monarch  of  the  barri- 
cades, made  up  of  audacity  and  cunning,  was  on  the 
whole  so  skilfully  conducted,  though  so  little  likely 
to  be  enduring,  as  to  our  mind  to  justify  a  more  sig- 
nificant epithet  than  that  of  a  mere  umpire. 

What,  however,  stands  out  most  conspicuously  in- 
this  same  letter  is  the  sound,  practical,  and  common- 


SPANISH   MARRIAGES  223 

sense  view  taken  by  Thiers  of  the  claim  to  actual  and 
substantial  importance  of  the  Spanish  Marriages; 
his  justification  of  the  British  Cabinet's  policy  of  non- 
interference (and,  with  it,  of  Lord  Aberdeen's  con- 
duct) in  a  matter  in  no  wise  vital  to  England ;  and 
his  far-sighted  estimate  of  what  might  have  been  the 
consequences  to  Europe  had  more  serious  measures 
in  opposition  to  the  plot  been  adopted.  It  would 
have  been  an  evil  day  that  had  seen  the  four  greatest 
European  powers  ranged  in  two  directly  opposite,  if 
not,  indeed,  openly  hostile  camps ;  whereof  England 
and  Prussia  should  have  occupied  the  one,  and  France 
and  Austria  the  other.  The  jSjxmish  Marriages 
was  a  comedy,  and  decidedly  unworthy  of  exaltation, 
at  least  for  the  time  being,  to  the  rank  of  an  Euro- 
pean tragedy, 

"Paris,  le  12  Janvier,  1847. 
"  Mon  clier  Panizzi, 

.Te  veux  depuis  longtemps  vous 
ecrire,  mais  je  suis  enfonce  dans 
mon  travail  d'impression  qui  ne 
m'en  laisse  pas  le  temps.  Je 
quitte  ce  travail  pour  les  discus- 
sions de  la  Chambre,  et  je  vous 
donne  les  premiers  moments  de 
cette  diversion.  II  n'y  a  rieu 
ici  de  nouveau,  mais  je  n'en  veux 
pas  moins  vous  dire  quelques 
mots  de  la  situation.  Auparavant, 
voici  mon  avis  sur  les  pieces  que 
j'ai  lues. 

Je    trouve   la    conduite    de  M. 
Guizot  fort  claire:    il  a  manque 
de  bonne   foi;  il  a  menti ;  il  s'est 
conduit    la  comme  nous    le    voyons    se    conduire    tous   les 


224  THE    LIFE   OF   SIR   ANTHONY    PANIZZI 

jours  h  la  Chambre;  mais  ce  qui  est  clair  pour  moi  ne  peut 
le  devenir  pour  le  public  qua  grand  renfort  de  preuves. 
II  faut  qu'oii  connaisse  les  depeches  de  Lord  Normanby,  dans 
lesquelles  les  mensonges  de  M.  Guizot  sont,  a  ce  qu'on  dit, 
mis  au  grand  jour  de  la  maniere  la  plus  frappante.  Ce  n'est  pas 
tout  que  de  prouver  que  M.  Gruizot  a  menti,  il  faut  prouver 
que  le  Cabinet  Anglais  a  ete  sincere,  et  pour  cela  il  faut  que- 
les  depeches  a  M.  Bulwer  et  a  M.  de  Sotomayor.  prouvanfc 
qu'on  n'a  pas  poursuivi  le  mariage  d'un  Cobourg  a  Madrid, 
soient  connues.  Je  suis  sur  que  I'opinion  publique  en 
France  condamnera  le  Cabinet  Franpais  s'il  est  evident  quil 
s'est  conduit  dune  maniere  deloyale.  L'evenement  de 
Cracovie  a  deja  prouve  qu'il  n'y  avait  que  peril,  fausse 
politique,  duperie  pour  les  nations  libres,  ou  aspirant  a  le 
devenir,  dans  la  brouille  de  la  France  avec  I'Angleterre.  Les 
alliances  avec les  CoursduNord  sont  rangeesparmilesutopies, 
ou  les  arriere-pensees  contre-revolutionnaires.  Si  a  cela  on 
ajoute  la  preuve  que  M.  Guizot,  outre  la  finite  de rompre  I'alli- 
ance  la  veille  de  Cracovie,  a  conimis  celle  d'agir  deloyalement, 
son  compte  sera  fait  et  regie  devant  le  public.  Pour  moi, qui 
souhaite  hardiment  la  chute  d'une  politique  egoiste  et 
contre-revolutionnaire,  je  serai  enchante  de  voir  M.  Guizot 
disparaitre  de  la  scene  politique.  Je  n'ai  aucun  interet  per- 
sonnel ici,  car  le  roi  appellera  M.  Mole,  et  n'aura  jamais  re- 
cours  a  moi  que  dans  une  extremite  perilleuse,  laquelle  n'est 
heureusement  pas  probable ;  mais  que  ce  soit  ]\I.  Mole  ou  un 
autre,  je  le  soutiendrai  s'il  inaugure  une  politique  moins 
infidele  a  la  cause  de  la  Revolution,  et  plus  propre  a  nous 
faire  bien  vivre  avec  I'Angleterre.  Ce  resultat  peut  sortir  de 
la  crise  actuelle,  si  on  se  conduit  bien.  Les  agents  de  M. 
Guizot  disent  ici  et  a  Londres  que  ni  le  pays  ni  le  Roi  n'aban- 
donneront  jamais  M.  Guizot.  C'est  une  absurdite,  debitee 
par  des  gens  a  gages,  mais  denuee  de  tout  fondement.  Le 
pays  applaudira  a  un  changement  de  ministere.  La  Chambre 
des  Deputes  represente  des  interets  prives,  elle  ne  represente 
pas  des  opinions.     Le    pays    eclaire  a  le  sentiment  que  la 


SPANISH    MARRIAGES  225' 

politique  actuelle  est  sans  coeur  et  sans  lumiei-es.     Quant  au 
Koi,  il  abandonnera  M.  Guizot  plus  didicilement  qu'un  autre, 
car  M.  Gruizot  s'est  completement   donne  a  lui,  et  soutient 
son  Gouvernement  personnel  avec  le  devouement  d'an  homme 
qui  n'a  plus  d'autre  role  possible.     Mais  quand  le  Roi  croira 
la  question  aussi  grave  qu'elle  I'est,  il  abandonnera  INI.  Guizot. 
Le  Roi  est  un  empirique  en  politique :  I'une  de   ses   idees 
favorites,  c'est  que,  moyennant  qu'on  sache  attendre,  surtout 
dans  les  pays  libres  oh  tout  est  mobile,  on  a  cause  gagnee. 
II    emploie    cette    recette    comme    les    medecins    voues   a 
I'eau    chaude  et  a  la    saignee;    il    I'emploie    pour    toutes 
les  maladies.     II  ne  croit  pas  a  la  solidite  des    Whigs ;   il 
croit  que  I'un  de  ces  jours  naitra  une  question  qui  emportera 
celle    des  mariages,  et  qu'il  aura  acquis  une   Infante  sans 
perdre  M.   Guizot.     Le   jour  ou  il  croira   les    choses    plus 
stables  qu'on  ne  les  lui  peint  de  Londres,  et  oii  il  craindra 
serieusement  pour  ses  rapports  avec  I'Angleterre,  il  abandon- 
nera M.  Guizot.     II  ne  tient  a  personne.     II  a  eu  plus  de 
gout  pour  moi  que  jjour  personne,  parce  qu'il  savait  que  je 
detestais    I'emeute,  que  je  n'hesitais  guere  quand  il  fallait 
agir,  et  que  je  croyais  a  la  necessite  de  la  royaute  d'Orleans. 
Mais  des  que  j'ai  contrarie  ses  pencliants  de  prince  illegitime 
voulant  se  faire  legitime  par  des  platitudes,  ilm'a  quitte  sans 
"un  regret.     M.  Guizot,  au  fond,  ne  lui  inspire  confiance  que 
sous  un  rapport :  c'est  une   effronterie  a  mentir  devant  les 
Chambres  qui  n'a  pas  ete  egalee  dans  le  Gouvernement  Repre- 
sentatif,  effronterie  appuyee    d'un  langage   monotone   ma  is 
tres-beaul     Comme  intelligence  et  devouement,  le  Roi  pense 
de  M.  Guizot  ce   qu"il  faut  en  penser.     Quand  il  croira  les 
Whigs  solides   et  la  question  serieuse,  il   se  decidera  a  un 
changement   de  personnes,  soyez-en  certain.     Mais   il   faufc 
mettre  bien  en  evidence  les  faits  et  la  mauvaise  foi  de   M. 
Guizot.     Quant  au  traite  d'Utrecht,  c'est  le  moins  opportuti 
de  toutes  les  parties  de  la  discussion.      Outre   que  personne 
en  Europe  ne  juge  le  traite  viole  par  un  manage  qui  ne  cree 
qu  uue  simple  even  ualite,  ceci  donne  au  Cabinet  Anglais  un 


226  THE    LIFE    OF    SIR  ANTHONY   PANIZZI 

aspect  de  jalousie  a  I'egard  de  la  France  qui  n'est  pns 
bon.  Veillons  bien  a  une  chose,  e'est  a  rapprocher  les  deux 
peuplcs,  autant  que  Ics  deux  Gouvernements.  N'allons  pas 
leur  creer  des  sujets  de  brouille  qui  au  fond  ne  sont  pas 
serieux  :  im  prince  de  plus  ou  de  moins  sur  le  trone  d'Espagne 
ne  fcra  rien  quant  aux  influences.  Le  Due  de  Montpensier, 
oule  Prince  de  Cobourg,  n'aurait  pas,  j'en  suis  sur,  en  dcvenant 
propre  mari  de  la  Eeine,  sensiblement  change  la  politique 
ingouvernable  do  I'Espagne.  C'est  une  folieque  de  pretendre 
diriger  I'Espagne.  Pour  moi,  je  n'y  voudrais  pas  voir  la 
contre-revolution,  parce  que  ce  seralt  une  tendance  inevltable- 
nient  hostile,  ct  antipathique  d'une  maniere  permanente ; 
mais  sauf  ccla,  je  suis  d'avis  que  tout  nioyen  employe  pour 
domincr  Madrid,  a  la  distance  de  Paris  ou  de  Londres,  est  une 
folic,  ou  une  duperle.  II  ne  fliut  done  pas  voir  dans  ce  mariage, 
collateral,  que  d'allleurs  on  ne  pent  pas  detaire,  une  cause  de 
brouille  permanente ;  autrcment  tout  devient  inarrangeable. 
La  France  et  I'Angleterre  aux  prises,  tout  est  perdu  pour  la 
bonne  cause  en  Europe.  Pour  moi,  j'ai  a  cet  egard  une  con- 
viction inebranlable.  11  y  a  eu  un  mauvais  proced6,  il  faut 
s'cn  plaindre  en  le  prouvant  bien,  et  ne  pas  pousser  la  querelle 
au-dcla.  Prouver  la  mauvaisc  foi  des  uns,  la  bonne  foi  des 
autrest  voila  ce  qu'il  faut.  Je  suis  sur  qu'il  en  resultcra  la 
chute  de  la  detestable  politique  qui  nous  gouvcrne. 

Les  ministeriels  disent  ici  que  Lord  Palmerston  voulait 
tcllement  un  Cobourg  qu'on  avait  promis  au  Due  de  Elan- 
sares,  pour  la  Peine  Christine,  sept  ou  huit  millions  si  I'afTaire 
reussissait.  lis  disent  aussi,  pour  rassurer  la  Chambre,  que 
Lord  Palmerston  est  a  bout  de  voie,  et  qu'il  a  envoye  ici  M. 
Charles  Greville  pour  negocier  la  paix.  Tons  ces  bruits  sor- 
tent  du  salon  de  la  Princesse  de  Lieven.  M.  Greville,  du 
reste,  a  Tattltudc  la  plus  convenable,  ct  jure  ses  grands  dieux 
•qu'il  n'a  pas  de  mission.  Vous  voyez,  mon  cher  ami,  qu'on 
ne  se  fait  pas  faute  de  mensonges.  Pour  moi,  en  voyant 
•I'etat  de  I'ltalie,  de  la  Suisse,  de  rAllcmagne,  je  souhaite 
ardemment    que    la    cordialite    renaisse    entre    la  France  et 


SPANISH    MARRIAGES  227 

I'AngleteiTe,  Si  Ics  deux  Cabinets  restent  longtemps  en  pre- 
sence I'un  de  rautrc,  tels  qu'ils  sont,  le  Cabinet  Anglais 
prendra  I'habitude  de  tvaiter  les  affiiires  a  Berlin,  le  Cabinet 
Franpais  prendra  I'habitude  de  les  traiter  a  Vienna,  car  il  n'y 
a  pas  deux  eoeurs  qui  s'entendent  mieux  au  monde  que  celui 
•du  Eoi  Louis-Philippe  ct  du  Prince  de  Mctternich  (remarquez 
cependant  que  le  second  est  dans  son  role)  ;  et  quand  on  aura 
vecu  longtemps  dans  des  relations  difFerentes,  I'alliance  sera 
definitivement  rompue.  Pour  moi,  je  ticns  que  ce  sera  pour 
I'Angleterre,  autant  que  pour  la  France,  le  plus  grand  des 
malheurs. 

Adieu,   mon  cher  ami;    ecrivez-moi  de  temps    en    temps. 

Je  vous  tiendrai  au  courant  de  mon  cote. 

A.  Thiers." 

In  the  next  letter  quoted,  being  the  answer  to  the 
first  written  by  Panizzi,  Thiers  seems  to  have  con- 
ceived a  more  probable  solution  of  the  Queen's 
mother's  share  in  the  Coburg  counter-plot  than  his 
correspondent.  Her  real  motives  and  purposes  must, 
it  is  to  be  feared,  be  for  ever  relegated  to  the  unre- 
liable realms  of  conjecture.  It  is  amusing  to  read 
Thiers's  account  of  how  the  evil  influence  of  the  in- 
trigue extended  so  far  as  to  threaten — happily  only 
threaten — a  rupture  in  the  Liberal  party  in  France. 
The  true  moderation  of  Thiers,  and  his  sound  common 
sense  again  shine  forth  conspicuously  in  the  following 
letter  : — 

*' Paris,  le  17  Janvier,  1847. 
"Mon  cher  Panizzi, 

J  ai  prevenu  vos  desirs,  et  je  vous  ai  ecrit  ces 
jours  derniers  une  longue  lettre  sur  tout  ce  qui  interesse  en 
ce  moment  les  esprits  politiques  et  les  bons  citoycns  des  deux 
pays. 

Je  connaissais  deja  les  deux  dernieres  pieces  que  vous  m'avcz 
€nvoyees.     Elles  etablissent   clairemcnt  la  verite  et  ruincnt 

Q 


228  TUB    LIFE    OF   SIR   ANTHONY    FAXIZZI 

I'echafaudage  de  nos  gens  de  Cour.  Voici  ce  qui  m'apparaifc 
de  tout  ceci. 

La  Eeinc  Christine  voulait  un  Prince  de  Cobourg  et  le 
demandait  ardemment. 

La  Cour  des  Tuileries  voulait  avant  tout  ecarter  un  Prince 
de  Cobourg  (dans  un  interefc  ministeriel  et  electoral,  car  on 
craignait  I'effet  de  ce  mariage  sur  I'opinion  publique,  fort 
prevenue  a  cet  egard)  et  desirait,  sans  I'oser  faire,  le  mariage 
du  Due  de  Montpensier  avec  I'Infante. 

Le  Cabinet  Anglais  ferait  a  la  France  I'abandon  du  Prince 
de  Cobourg,  reconnaissant  que  ce  clioix  mettrait  en  fausse 
position  la  France,  I'Espagne  et  I'Anglcterre ;  mais  il  tendrait 
vers  rinfant  Don  Henri,  dans  le  desir  de  renverser  les  moderes 
et  d'amener  les  progressistes. 

Voilii,  selon  moi,  les  voeux  de  cliacun. 

II  m'est  demontre  jusqu'a,  revidence  que  Lord  Palmcrston 
n'a  pas  agi  autrement  que  Lord  Aberdeen,  et  que  leur  tlieme 
a  I'un  et  a  I'autre  a  ete  celui-ci  :  La  Reine  d'Espngne  estlibre  ; 
elle  fera  bien,  dans  I'interet  de  scs  relations  avec  la  France,  de 
choisir  I'un  des  deux  Princes  Espagnols,  et,  entre  les  deux, 
i'lnfant  Don  Henri. 

Lorsque  la  depeche  de  Lord  Palmcrston,  du  19  Juillet,  a 
ete  communiquee  a  M.  Gruizot,  on  I'a  envoyee  a  Madrid,  et  on 
a  decide  la  Reine  Christine  en  faveur  de  I'lnfant  Don  Franpois, 
par  la  crainte  d'avoir  I'lnfant  Don  ^Henri  et  les  Progressistes. 
Je  crois  que  c'est  la  Eeine  Christine  qui  a  propose  le  mariage 
Montpensier,  pour  n'avoir  pas  I'lnfont  Don  Henri  comme  gendre 
de  sa  seconde  fille.  Ici,  pour  s'excuser,  on  pretend  que  la 
Reine  Christine  a  voulu  que  les  deux  mariagcs  fassent  lies 
ensemble,  et  qu'on  a  ete  oblige  de  consentir  au  second  pour 
etre  assure  du  premier.  Mais  personne  ne  sait  au  juste  com- 
ment les  deux  mariagcs  ont  ete  ofTcrts  et  acceptes.  Ce  qui  est 
evident,  c'est  que  la  crainte  de  Don  Henri  a  ete  employee 
pour  decider  la  Reine  Christine.  On  a  ensuite  pris  son  parti 
a  I'improviste,  et  tandis  que  le  28  Aout  on  promettait  a  Lord 
JN'ormanby  Taction  commune  a  Madrid,  on  lui  annonpait,  le 


SPANISH    MARRIAGES  229 

l^^  Septembre,  que  tout  etait  fini.  On  s'etait  mis  dans  une 
position  a  ne  sortir  d'affaire  que  par  des  mensonges. 

Volla  ce  qui  est  clair  pour  moi.  Le  theme  des  engage- 
ments d'Eu,  auxquels  on  a  manque,  parce  que  ces  engage- 
ments, tenus  par  Lord  Aberdeen,  ont  ete  violes  par  Lord 
Palmerston,  est  un  theme  absurde,  mais  dans  lequel  on  per- 
sistera. 

Jusqu'ici  les  pieces  produites  a  Paris  n'eclaircissentpas  la 
question.  D'abord,  peu  de  personnes  les  ont  lues  ;  tres-peu, 
parmi  celles  qui  les  ont  lues,  sont  capables  de  les  com- 
prendre.  On  s'en  fie  a  ce  que  disent  les  hommes  les  plus 
competents.  Or,  les  ministeriels  ont  en  cela  I'avantage,  car 
ils  affirment,  et  les  opposants,  nayant  pas  connaissance  de 
toutes  les  pieces,  sont  reduits  a  contester  les  affirmations  des 
ministeriels,  en  disant  que  les  pieces  sont  tronquees.  Jus- 
qu'ici done  il  ne  fait  pas  jour  encore.  Le  gros  public  ne  lira 
que  les  discours  de  M.  Guizot,  de  Lord  Palmerston,  de  M.  de 
Broglie,  de  Lord  Aberdeen,  de  M.  Thiers.  Ce  sont  ces  dis- 
cours qui  feront  son  opinion ;  il  faut  meme  reduire  la  ques- 
tion au  vrai;  Les  deux  personnages  en  action,  M.  Guizot  et 
Lord  Palmerston,  decideront  I'opinion,  plus  que  personne, 
par  leurs  discours.  Celui  qui  mettra  le  mieux  les  faits  au 
clair  aura  le  plus  d'inlluence:  peut-etre  Lord  Aberdeen, 
comme  arbitre  entre  les  deux,  sera-t-il  aussi  fort  ecoute. 

II  se  passe  ici,  dans  I'opposition,  un  fait  qui  a  peu  d'im- 
portance  en  lui-meme,  mais  qui  fournit  beaucoup  de  bavar- 
dages.  II  y  a  dans  tous  les  partis,  mais  surtout  en  France, 
des  seconds  qui  veulent  etre  les  premiers.  Je  suis  fort,  moi, 
avec  Odilon  Barrot ;  a  nous  deux,  nous  decidons  la  conduite 
de  I'opposition.  MM.  Billaut  et  Dufaure,  deux  avocats  fort 
mediocres,  le  premier  fort  intrigant,  le  second  morose  et 
insociable,  fort  mecontents  de  ne  pas  etre  les  chefs,  ayant  le 
desir  de  se  rendre  prochainement  possibles  au  ministere,  ont 
profite  de  I'occasion  pour  faire  une  scission.  L'alliance  avec 
I'Angleterre  n'est  malheureusement  pas  populaire.  J'ai 
depuis  quinze  ans  beaucoup  de  peine  a  la  soutenir.  J'ai 
q2 


230  THE    LIFE    OP    SIR    ANTHONY    TANIZZI 

amene  I'opposition  a  I'accepter,  et  revencment  de  Cracovie 
m'a  fort  aide,  tout  dernierement,  a  fermer  la  bouche  aux  par- 
tisans de  I'alliance  contre-revolutionnaire  avec  la  Russie. 
Mais  c'est  neanmoins  une  tache  laborieuse  que  d'amener  les 
esprits  a  I'Angleterre.  MM.  Billaut  et  Dufaure  ont  imagine 
de  I'etendard  d'une  scission,  en  adoptant  le  theme  suivant : 
Eesistance  a  I'Angleterre,  approbation  des  mariages  Espagnols, 
etc.  .  .  .  Notez  que  ces  deux  messieurs,  vulgaires  et 
ignorants  comme  des  avocats  de  province,  n'ayant  jamais 
regarde  une  carte,  sachant  a  peine  oil  coulent  le  Rhin  ou 
le  Danube,  seraient  fort  embarrasses  de  dire  en  quoi  I'alli- 
ance Anglaise  est  bonne  ou  mauvaise.  Mais  lis  font  de  la 
politique  comme  au  barreau  on  fait  de  I'argumentation ;  ils 
prennent  une  these  ou  une  autre,  suivant  le  besoin  de  la 
plaidoirie  qu'on  leur  paye,  et  puis  ils'partent  de  la,  et  parlent, 
parlent.  ...  lis  ont,  de  plus,  trouve  un  avantage  dans 
la  these  actuellement  adoptee  par  eux,  c'est  de  faire  leur  cour 
aux  Tuileries  :  et  de  se  rendre  agreables  a  celui  qui  fait  et 
defait  les  ministres.  Du  reste,  ils  esperaient  amener  grand 
monde  a  eux,  mais  ils  ne  sont  pas  15  sur  180  membres  de 
I'opposition.  Ils  n'en  seront  pas  moins  un  grave  sujet  d'em- 
barras  et  donneront  du  coeur  a  nos  ministres  pour  nous 
accuser  d'etre  livres  a  I'Angleterre,  quand  nous  plaiderons  la 
cause  du  bon  sens  et  de  la  vraie  politique. 

Quant  a  moi,  j'ai  gout  a  braver  les  passions  de  cour  et  les 
passions  de  rue;  je  me  crois  dans  le  vrai  quand j 'en tends 
crier  contre  moi  les  laquais  de  la  royaute  et  les  laquais  de  la 
canaille,  les  uns  disant  que  nous  sommes  les  ennemis  du  Roi, 
parce  que  nous  blamons  des  mariages  imprudents ;  les  autres 
disant  que  nous  sommes  livres  a  I'Angleterre,  parce  que  nous 
soutenons  que  la  brouille  de  la  France  et  de  I'Angleterre  est 
le  triomphe  du  despotisme  en  Europe.  Je  suis  convaincu, 
plus  que  jamais,  de  la  necessite  de  I'union  des  deux  pays.  Je 
desire  cette  union  sous  tous  les  ministercs  Tories  ou  Whigs, 
mais  ]e  la  crois  plus  fructueuse  sous  les  Whigs.  Mal- 
hem-eusemcnt  on  nous  rappellera   1840,  et  on  nous  dira  que 


I 


SPANISH    MARRIAGES  2ol 

nous  avons  mauvaise  grace  de  defendre  les  auteurs  du  traite 
du  15  Juillet.  Tout  cela  fait  une  position  compliquee,  diffi- 
cile, qui  ne  m'effraye  pas,  mais  qui  me  degouterait  de  me 
meler  des  affaires,  si  ma  dignite  personnelle  ne  m'obligeait 
pas  a  rester  a  mon  poste. 

Le  mini  store  aura  la  majorite  :  cela  n'est  pas  douteux.  II 
ne  pourra  perir  que  par  les  evenements.  Le  ministere 
anglais,  s'il  dure,  aura  la  plus  grande  infliience  sur  le  resultat. 
Quand  le  Roi  croira  les  choses  stables  en  Anofleterre  et  la 
question  serieuse,  11  abandonnera  M.  Gruizot.  Mais  comme 
il  faudra  sacrifier  dans  M.  Gruizot  son  amour-propre  et  son 
gouvernement  personnel,  il  mettra  plus  de  temps  a  ceder  que 
de  coutume.  Je  crains  seulement  que  dans  I'intervalle  les 
deux  pays  n'aient  eu  le  temps  de  se  brouiller. 

Les  ministres  se  vantent  beaucoup,  en  effet,  que  M.  Greville 
est  venu  leur  porter  des  paroles  de  paix.  J'ai  vu  M.  Greville, 
il  a  dine  chez  moi.  II  a  nie  toute  mission  diplomatique,  il 
m'a  paru  tenir  un  bon  langage,  que  je  trouve  cependant 
nuance  de  torysme.  Voici  le  ton  de  ses  discours :  Lord 
Palmerston  a  raison  contre  M.  Guizot ;  mais  il  faut  oublier  le 
passe  et  s'entendrc.  En  somme,  il  parle  comme  parlent  a 
Paris  les  ministeriels  raisonnables,  qui  disent :  M.  Guizot  a 
eu  tort,  mais  il  faut  n'y  plus  penser.  Je  trouve  cela  naturel, 
preferable  assurement  a  une  rupture  de  la  France  et  de 
I'Angleterre  ;  mais  je  voudrais  voir  tomber  du  meme  coup  la 
politique  qui  livre  I'ltalie,  la  Suisse,  TAllemague  a  nos 
ennemis,  qui  n'a  d'enirailles  que  pour  les  interets  de  Cour,  et 
a  qui  tout  sentiment  eleve  est  etranger.  Je  ne  suis  pas, 
quant  a  moi,  tres-lie  avec  M.  Greville.  Je  le  trouve  sense, 
aimable,  gracieux  pour  moi;  mais  je  ne  parle  avec  lui  de  la 
Princesse  de  Lievcn  que  pour  en  dire  des  choses  qui  ne 
tendent  pas  a  me  rapprocher  de  M.  Guizot.  Du  reste,  M. 
Greville  vit  chez  Lord  Normanby. 

Jc  finis  en  vous  disant  qu'il  faut  demasquer  les  mensonges 
de  M.  Guizot,  mais  ne  pas  tenir  un  langage  qui  sente  la 
jalousie  contre  la  France.      Avouer  qu'on  a  voulu  Don  Henri, 


232  THE    LIFE    OF   SIR   ANTHONY    PANIZZI 

et  les  progressistes  en  Espagne,  est  tres-naturel,  tr^s-slncere 
et  tres-bon.  Je  crols  que  c'est  la  verlte,  et  qu'un  INIinistre 
Anglais  peut  en  convenir.  Je  vous  ecris  tout  ceci  pour  vous 
seul.  Vous  n'imaglncz  pas  tout  ce  que  debitent  ici  les 
ministeriels.  lis  pretendent  que  je  suis  en  correspondance 
avec  Lord  Palmerston,  a  qui  je  n'ai  jamais  ecrit  de  ma  vie,  et 
qui  ne  m'a  jamais  ecrit  non  plus. 

Adieu,  mon  cher  ami ;  au  revoir  apres  la  bataille. 

A.  Thiers." 

In  the  preceding  and  in  the  following  letters, 
allusion  is  made  to  an  act  of  political  iniquity,  on 
which  subject,  as  it  happened  in  a  remote  corner  of 
Europe,  and  at  a  considerable  distance  of  time,  it 
may  not  be  amiss  to  refresh  the  reader's  memory.  By 
the  Treaty  of  Vienna,  it  was  stipulated  that  Cracow 
should  be  for  ever  a  free  and  independent  town,  under 
the  protection  of  the  three  powers — Russia,  Prussia, 
and  Austria.  In  184G  an  insurrection  broke  out  in 
the  toAvn,  and  the  insurgents  set  up  a  Provincial 
Government.  They  were  promptly  defeated,  and 
Cracow  again  became  subject  to  the  three  powers. 
For  a  time  things  went  on  as  before,  but  the  ramifica- 
tions of  the  Spanish  plot  had  extended  a  little  further 
than  the  plotters  either  intended  that  they  should  or 
imagined  that  they  could.  Taking  advantage  of  the 
shattering  by  Guizot  and  his  master  of  the  entente 
Gordiale  between  England  and  France,  the  three 
powers  concerned  with  the  protection  of  Cracow, 
coolly  proclaimed,  without  consulting  their  fellow 
signatories  to  the  Treaty,  that,  so  far  as  regarded  that 
unfortunate  town,  the  provisions  of  the  Treaty  were 
annulled,  and  Cracow  was  forthwith  annexed  to 
Austria  as  an  integral  part  of  the  empire.     Separate 


SPANISH   MARRIAGES  233 

protests  against  this  act  of  spoliation,  were,  as  a 
matter  of  conrse,  made  by  both  France  and  England ; 
but,  equally  as  a  matter  of  course  under  the  circum- 
stances, the  protests  were  separate,  and  as  such  had 
no  influence  on  the  action  of  the  three  confederates. 

"Mon  cher  Panizzi, 

Je  vous  envole  quatre  exemplah-es  du  Moniteur, 
car  c'est  par  le  Moniteur  que  je  vous  prie  de  faire  connaitre 
mon  discours.  II  est  indignement  rendu  dans  les  divers  jour- 
naux.  II  n'a  ni  sens,  ni  clarte,  dans  les  comptes-rendus  inex- 
acts  que  les  journaux  en  ont  donnes.  Envoyez  done  ces 
quatre  3Ioniieurs,  Fun  a  Lord  Palmerston,  les  autres  a  qui 
vous  jugerez  utile  de  les  faire  parvenir. 

II  y  a  un  mot  que  j'ai  dit,  et  dont  on  voudra  m'excuser.  Le 
texte  vrai  repondra  a  tout.  J'ai  dit  que  les  Whigs  etaient 
detestes  de  I'Europe.  Cela  est  vrai  ;  c'est  le  motif  qui  doit 
nous  porter  a  nous  unir  les  uns  et  les  autres.  J'ai  dit  cela 
pour  faire  scntir  a  la  France  que  les  Whigs  et  nous  etions  des 
freres  en  Jesus-Christ,  c'est-a-dire  en  revolution.  J'ai  laisse 
echappcr  un  mot  que  j'ai  repris  :  c'est  que  Lord  Palmerston 
etait  odieux  a  I'Europe,  c'est-a-dire  aux  trois  Cabinets  signa- 
taires  de  Facte  de  Cracovie.  Vcillez  a  ce  qu'on  n'abuse  pas 
de  ce  mot. 

Quant  a  moi,  j'ai  voulu,  hier,  rendrc  un  service  a  I'alliance 
des  deux  pays,  a  Fhumanite,  a  la  civilisation,  que  les  Whigs, 
unis  aux  Liberaux  Franfais,  peuvcnt  seuls  sauver.  Je  suis 
epuise  de  fatigue.  Je  ferai  mon  devoir  jusqu'au  bout.  Mille 
ct  mille  amities.  A.  Thiers. 

Repondez-moi  que  vous  avez  repu  ce  paquet.  Pourriez-vous 
faire  que  les  journaux  antrlais  traduisisscnt  mon  discours  sur 
le  Moniteur.  Je  vais  faire  imprimer  mon  discours  a  part  ;  je 
vous  en  enverrai  des  exemplaircs." 

In  his  next  letter  Thiers  indulges  in  forebodings 
which,  though  under  the  circumstances  most  reason- 


234 


THE    LIFE    OF    SIK    ANTHONY    TANIZZI 


able,  were  fortunately  unfuliilled.  The  trickery  of 
Giiizot  revealed  in  his  contrivance  of  the  Sjyanish 
Marriages^  might  well  give  rise  to  coolness  between 
England  and  France,  but  was,  happily,  not  likely  to 
be  the  foundation  of  any  deep  feeling  of  rancune^. 
still  less  to  be  requited  by  a  mauvais  tour  on  the 
part  of  the  English  Cabinet  :— 


*'  Mon  cher  Panlzzi, 

Je  vous  ecris  quclques  mots  pour  vous  iaire  con- 
naitre  la  situation  et  le  changement  qu'elle  vient  de  subir.  Les 
discours  de  votre  tribune  ont  produit  ici  un  efFet  singulier.  Le 
sentiment  de  toutle  monde  c'est  que  tout  est  fini  ;  on  va  jusqu'ii 
dire  que  vous  n'aurez  pas  de  discussion  a  votre  tribune  sur  I'af- 
faire  des  marlages.  Je  vous  prie  de  me  dire  ce  qui  en  est,  et 
de  me  le  dire  par  le  retour  du  courrier.  Nous  passerions  pour 
des  boute-feux,  et,  ce  qui  est  pire,  nous  le  serious,  si  la  qucrelle 
s'apaisant  nous  venions  la  ranimer.  Quant  a  moi,  je  re- 
prochais  surtout  a,  nos  ministres  d'avoir  roinpu  Falliance  avcc 
les  Whigs,  pour  la  miserable  affaire  des  manages.  Si  cette 
sotte  affaire  ne  nous  a  pas  brouilles,  ce  dontje  m'applaudis 
fort,  notre  grief  est  sans  valeur,  et  il  serait  ridicule  d'attaquer 
M.  Gruizot  pour  une  telle  chose.  Nous  aurions  une  sotte  tour- 
nure  si  nous  venions  faire  grave  une  affaire  qui  ne  Test  pas. 
Je  crains  seulement  une  chose,  c'est  que  la  rancune  reste  au 
fond,  tandis  que  les  termes  se  seront  adoucls.  M.  Guizot 
triomphera  de  la  douceur  du  langage,  qui  I'autorise  a  dire 
qu'il  a  su  resister  sans  rompre  avec  I'Angleterre,  et  nous 
payerons  dans  quelque  temps,  par  un  mauvais  tour  de  votre 
Cabinet,  le  pretendu  triomphe  des  marlages  !  Cecl  paralt  fort 
probable.  Quoi  qu'il  en  soit,  nous  ne  pouvons,  nous,  rallumer 
un  feu  qui  s'eteint.  Pour  mol,  qui  trouvals  la  situation 
difficile,  vu  la  tournure  des  clioses,  je  serai  charme  d'etre  dis- 
pense de  me  meler  a  cette  discussion.  Ecrlvez-mol,  un  mot  qui 
puisse  m'arriver  mercredi  oujcudi,  avant  I'ouverture  de  notre 


aPANISII    MARRIAGES  235 

discussion     Dites-moi   surtout  si,  en  effet,  il  n'y  aura  pas  de 
debut  dans  votre  Parlement  sur  les  affaires  espagnoles. 

Tout  a  vous. 

Dimanche  (1847.)  A.  Thiers." 

The  concluding  letter  of  Thiers  on  the  great  quest- 
ion shows  that,  however  open  he  may  have  been  to 
our  charge  (which  may  be  unfounded)  of  a  natural 
abhorrence  of  the  English,  yet  that  such  dislike  was 
by  no  means  inconsistent  with  a  full  appreciation  and 
staunch  recognition  of  the  advantages  to  be  derived 
from  their  political  co-operation.  He  appears,  in  this 
letter,  to  attribute  just  a  little  too  much  importance 
to  Mr.  Greville's  so-called  mission.  This  was  scarcely 
a  matter  of  sufficient  consequence  to  excite  the  suspi- 
cion of  so  experienced  a  statesman. 

"  Paris,  ce  Dimanche,  7  Fevrier,  184:7. 
"  Mon  cher  Panizzi, 

VoUa  notre  discussion  sur  les  mariages  espagnols  terminee. 
On  a  beaucoup  attaque  I'Alliance  Anglaise,  mais  je  I'ai  plus 
vivement  defendue  ;  j'ai  cherche  surtout  a  la  populariser  en 
lui  donnant  son  veritable  motif,  la  defense  de  la  liberte  du 
peuple,  et  de  Findependance  des  Etats  Europeens.  Je  crois 
pouvoir  dire  que  dans  la  Chambre  des  Deputes  I'immense 
majorite  comprend  ct  souhaite  rAlliance  Anglaise,  et  deplore 
la  conduite  de  M.  Guizot.  Son  imprudent  discours  d'avant- 
hier  a  confondu  tout  le  monde  ;  son  attaque  si  rude  centre 
Lord  Palmerston  (^imprudemment,  coiipahlement),  son  dementi 
de  mauvais  gout  a  Lord  Normanby,  ont  generalement  surpris, 
De  toutes  parts  on  se  demandait  ce  qu'il  voulait,  et  par  quels 
motifs  il  etait  dirige.  Alors  on  est  revenu  sur  I'origine  meme 
du  debat,  et  sur  la  faute  qu'il  avait  commise,  lorsque  je  lui 
offrais  de  ne  pas  discuter,  de  vouloir  lui-meme  une  discus- 
sion. Craignant  en  eflet  de  jouer  le  role  de  boute-feu, 
qui   n'est   et   ne    fut   jamais   le    mien,  j'avais    precise  entre 


■236  THE    LIFE    OF   SIR   ANTHONY    PANIZZI 

lui    et    inoi    la    situation. — Convenons,    avais-je     dit,    que 
nous  nous  tairons,  pour  ne  pas  provoquer  entre  la  France 
et  I'Angleterre   plus  d'irritation  qu'il  n'y  en  a,  et  qu'il  soit 
clair   que  ni   I'un   ni   I'autre    ne  recule. — Pas  du  tout:  M. 
Guizot  n'a  rien  voulu  admettre,  et  s'est  obstine  a  repondre 
qu'il  n'invoquait  pas  mon  silence,  et  qu'il  etait  pret  a  discuter. 
Mors  j'ai  ete  force  d'ouvrir  la  lutte  pour  ne  pas  paraitre 
reculer.     Aujourd'hui  que  tout  le  monde  comprend  la  gravite 
de  ce  qu" il  a  dit,  on  lui  reproche  son  imprudente  morgue,  et 
I'aveuglement  avec  lequel  il  s'est  jete  dans  le  debat.     On  est 
fort  impatient  de  savoir  comment  tout  cela  va  tourner    chez 
vous.     Beaucoup  de  gens  croyaient  et  disaient  que  M.  Guizot 
avait  I'esperance  de  la  retraite  de  Lord  Palmerston,  et  d'une 
desunion  dansle  Cabinet  Whig ;  d'autres  affirment  (et  je  suis 
sur  que  ceux-ci  ont  raison)  qu'il  a  voulu  venger  le   Koi  des 
attaques  dont  il  est  I'objet  en  Angleterre,  afin  de  se  I'attaclier. 
Voici  en  effet  ce  qui  est  certain.     Le  Eoi  est  devenu  fort 
douteux  pour  M.  Guizot.     M.  Guizot  lui-meme,  malgre  sa 
morgue,  commence  a  douter  de  la  solidite  de  I'appui  royal. 
Je  suis  certain  de  ce  que  je  vous  dis  ici.     Des  confidences 
tres-Eurement   informees   ne  m'ont  laisse  aucun  doute  a  cet 
egard.     Avant-hier  j'ai  pu  me   convaincre  d'un  cliangement 
notable  par  mes  propres  yeux.      J'etais  invite  au  spectacle  de 
la  Cour  avec  7  ou  800  personnes,  par  consequent  sans  faveur 
aucune  ;  mais  j'ai  repu  un  accueil  qu'on  ne  m'avait  pas  fait 
depuis   bien   des   annees,    et  c'est  toujours  ainsi  quand  on 
commence  a  s'ebranler.     Quoi  qu'il  en  soit,  il  n'y  a  pas  un 
hommo  sage  qui  ne  trouve  insense  le  langage  de  M.  Guizot. 

Je  voulais,  dans  ma  derniere,  vous  dire  un  mot  de  M. 
Greville.  Je  no  sais  ce  qu'il  est  venu  faire  ici,  mais  il  a  fini 
par  m'etre  tres-suspect.  Je  I'ai  un  pen  raille  le  jour  de  son 
depart,  et  il  en  etait  pique.  II  a  passe  sa  vie  chez  Mme.  de 
Lieven,  chez  M.  Guizot,  et  tenait  ici  le  langage  d'un  pur 
Guizotin.  M.  Guizot  etait,  suivant  lui,  un  personnage 
inviolable,  et  il  fallait  n'en  rien  dire.  Je  lui  ai  dit :  "  Mon 
cher  Monsieur  Greville,  vous  etes  une  eponge  tombee  dans 


SPANISH    MARRIAGES  237 

le  liqulde  Lieven,  et  quand  on  vous  presse,  il  n'en  sort  que  ce 
liquide.  Prenez  gai'de  !  ce  n'est  que  du  liqulde  de  vieille 
femme." — Je  crois  franchement  que  M.  Grreville  n'est  pas 
bien  sur,  et  qu'il  avait  quelque  commission  particuliere,  je  ne 
sais  pour  qui,  mais  qui  n'irait  pas  dans  le  sens  des  vieux 
revolutionnalres  comme  vous  et  moi. 

Je  fais  toujours  des  voeux  pour  que  la  coterie  Europeenne 
dont  M.  Guizot  est  I'instrument,  et  qui  a  pour  but  de  corn- 
primer  Suisses,  Allemands,  Italiens,  soit  battue  partout,  a 
Paris  et  a  Londres.     Mille  et  mille  amities.  A.  T. 

J'espere  que  vous  ne  mettrez  plus  M.  Greville  au  nombre 
de  mes  agents  diplomatiques. 

Avez-vous  repu  un  paquet  affranchi  de  Bloniteurs?  Re- 
pondez-moi  bien  vite  et  dites-moi  ce  qui  en  est  d'nn  bruit  re- 
panduici  par  le  Ministere  et  les  Holland,  que  le  Cabinet  Whig 
est  divise.     Tout  a  vous. 

Nos  petits  scissionnaires  qui  avaient  fait  un  systeme  pour  la 
circonstance,  dirige  centre  lAngieterre,  ont  ete  battus  a  plate- 
couture  ;  ils  sont  converts  de  ridicule. 

Ecrivez-moi  pour  me  dire  quel  jour  vous  aurez  repu  cette 
lettre." 

The  affair  of  the  Sjjanish  Marriages,  so  far  as  re- 
lates to  the  incidents  of  the  plot  itself,  and  the 
manner  in  which  it  was  worked  out,  has  subsided  into 
a  matter  of  no  interest,  and,  save  in  the  material 
pages  of  history,  has  lapsed  into  oblivion.  People 
have  even  ceased  to  discuss  the  curious  question 
\vhether  or  no  the  marriage  of  the  Duke  de  Montpen- 
sicr  was  a  violation  of  the  treaty  of  Utrecht.  One 
meagre  pleasure,  however,  remains,  to  read  oi  the 
various  minor  difficulties  which,  in  addition  to  the 
vis  inertice  of  the  British  Government  and  the 
Coburg  countermine,  M.  Guizot,  in  the  course  of  his 
machinations,  was  called  upon  to  encounter. 


238  THE    LIFE    OF    SIR    ANTHONY    PANIZZI 

Some  of  these  he  attributes  to  the  peculiar  tem- 
perament of  the  people  with  whose  domestic  affairs 
he  was  meddling  : — 

*'  C'est  le  caractere,"  says  he,  "  des  peuplcs  du  midi,  surtout 
des  Espagnol?,  que  le  long  regime  du  pouvoir  absolu  et 
I'absence  de  la  liberie  politique  n'ont  point  eteint  en  eux 
I'ardeur  des  passions,  le  gout  des  emotions  et  des  aventures,  et 
qu'ils  deploient  avec  une  audacieuse  imprevoyance,  dans  les 
interets,  les  Incidents  et  les  intrigues  de  leur  vie  personnelle, 
la  fecondite  d'esprit  et  I'energle  dont  ils  n'ont  pas  appris  a 
trouver  dans  la  vie  publiquc  I'emploi  reflechi  et  la  satisfaction 
mesuree." 

And  again,  writing  to  Bresson  : — 

"  Je  ne  connais  pas  I'Espagne,  et  je  suis  fort  porte  a  croire 
qu'elle  ne  resemble  a  aucun  autre  pays." 

Mons.  Guizot  was  free  from  some  of  the  more  pro- 
minent characteristics  of  his  countrymen,  and  was  by 
nature  formed  for  a  cool  and  keen  observer  and  dis- 
criminator. Had  he  used  his  observation  to  the 
fullest  extent,  he  might  have  ascribed  the  peculiari- 
ties of  Spanish  temper  to  some  other,  and  more 
original  cause,  than  that  to  which  he  assigns  them  ; 
and,  had  he  combined  comparison  with  that  observa- 
tion, might  possibly  have  been  led  to  the  unpleasant 
conclusion ; — Simia  quam  similis  tur_pissiina  bestia 
nobis. 

There  is  within  these  realms  a  people,  in  blood 
closely  akin  to  Frenchmen  and  Spaniards,  to  whom 
certain  noble  qualities,  attributed  by  M.  Bresson  to 
the  latter,  might  not  unjustly  be'  ascribed  : — "  La 
jalousie,  I'ambition,  et  la  vengeance,  m'ecrivait-il  (lell 
Mars,  1844)  sont  les  principaux  mobiles  des  hommes 
qui  figurent  ici  sur  la  scene  politique.     Je   ne  fais 


II 


SPANISH    MARRIAGES  239 

exception  pour  aucun  parti ;  hair,  ae   satisfaire  et  se 
Yenger,  ils  ne  voient  rien  au  dela." 

In  fact,  the  great  Celtic  race,  in  its  several  divi- 
sions, is  the  same  throughout  the  Avorld — alike  unpo- 
litical and  ungovernable.  Reform  succeeds  reform  ; 
revolution,  revolution  ;  all  is  labour  in  vain,  spent 
•only  on  forming  material  for  fresh  change.  Not  that 
we  should  blame  the  race  for  declining  to  accept  even 
good  government  from  any  alien  authority  had  it 
either  the  wisdom  or  the  power  to  construct  for  itself 
a  stable  administration,  or  the  foresight  to  submit  to 
the  necessary  control  of  the  authority  so  created. 

The  Sj)anish  Marriages  affair,  though  of  itself 
the  meanest  and  most  miserable  of  plots,  nevertheless 
left  results  behind,  the  ultimate  effect  of  which  has, 
perhaps,  not  even  yet  been  felt.  Nemesis,  however, 
was  not  long  in  overtaking  the  perpetrators  of  this 
striking  example  of  chicanery.  The  accomplishment 
of  the  intrigue — the  first  overt  act,  the  first  great 
achievement  of  the  reactionary  policy  adopted  by  the 
King  of  the  French  and  his  Minister,  both  at  home 
and  abroad,  and  notably  in  the  affairs  of  Italy,  as  well 
••as  of  Spain,  was,  it  is  no  exaggeration  to  say,  one  of 
the  main  causes  of  the  downfall  of  the  former,  as  it 
was  the  direct  cause  of  his  falling  despised  and  unre- 
.gretted  of  all. 

Mons.  Guizot  records  in  his  "  Memoires  "  (Vol,  VIII., 
p.  571)  a  proceeding  on  the  part  of  certain  members 
•of  the  Liberal  party  which  caused  him  much  sur- 
prise, but  of  which  he  acce^its  an  explanation  that 
mii^ht  probably  not  have  been  equally  satisfactory  to 
-everybody. 


240  THE    LIFE    OF    SIR    ANTHONY    PANIZZI 

"  Le  lendemain,  22  Fevrier  (1848),  non  pas  I'opposition 
toute  entierc,  mais  cinquante-deux  de  ses  membres  firent  con- 
naitre  quels  etaient  les  nouveaux  et  graves  devoirs  qu'ils  se 
proposaient  de  remplir;  ils  deposerent,  sur  le  Bureau  de  la 
Chambre  des  Deputes,  une  proposition  pour  la  mise  en  accu- 
sation du  Ministere,  a  raison  de  sa  politique,  exterieure  et 
intericure,  dans  tout  le  cours  de  son  administration." 

It  is  beyond  our  present  range  to  travel  so  far 
into  subsequent  history,  but  mention  must  not  be- 
altogether  omitted  of  the  intimate  connection  be- 
tween the  S]}anish  Marriages  and  an  event  of  far 
greater  importance  than  the  Revolution  of  1848,  the 
war  between  France  and  Germany  in  1870-1,  origi- 
nating in  the  vacancy  on  the  Spanish  throne. 

Touching  the  Revolution  of  1848,  there  is  but  one 
letter  of  Thiers  to  Panizzi,  and  this  bears  more  on 
the  immediate  incidents  of  the  abdication,  and  on  the 
culpable  weakness  of  the  King  himself,  than  on  the 
causes  that  led  to  his  dethronement . — 

"  Paris,  20  Mars,  1848. 

"  Mon  cher  Panizzi, 

Je  vous  remercie  de  votre  aimable  souvenir.  J'ai 
traverse,  depuis  que  nous  n'avons  plus  eu  de  communications, 
d'affreuses  vicissitudes.  J'ai  vu  tomber  la  monarchie  de  1830 
par  le  sot  entetement  de  Louis-Philippe,  et  la  folic  imprevoy- 
ance  de  ses  ministres.  Apres  avoir  refuse  au  parti  liberal 
toute  satisfaction  raisonnable,  apres  s'etre  reduit  a  la  triste 
necessite  de  verser  le  sang  pour  defendre  un  odieux  systeme, 
on  avait  dans  Paris  16,000  hommes  de  troupes,  disperses  de 
Vincennes  a  Chaillot,  dont  4,000  seulement  aux  Tuileries 
(point  decisif). 

Ceux-ci  avaient  dix  cartouches  par  homme,  et  point  de 
vivres.  Ce  que  je  vous  dis  je  I'ai  vu  de  mes  yeux.  Le  Eoi 
m'a  appele  quand  il  n'etait  plus  temps  de  le  sauver,  c'est-a- 


SPANISH   MAERIAGES.  241 

dire  au  milieu  de  la  nult  qui  a  precede   sa  chute.     Je  ne  lui 
ai  .pas  dissimule  Textremite  du  peril,  qui  ne  laissait  presque 
aucune  esperance.     8i  dans  ce  moment  il  avait  fait  les  conces- 
sions necessaires,  peut-etre  aurions-nous  pu  arreter  I'insurrec- 
tion ;  mais  il  ne  m'a  accorde  la  dissolution  de  la  Chambre  des 
Deputes  qu'a  dix  heures  du  matia  (il  m'avait  appele  a  trois 
heures  de  la  nuit)  et  il  a  ete  oblige  d'abdiquer  a  onze  lieures. 
II  a  toujours  fait  toutes  les  clioses  trop  tard,  et  quand  elles  ne 
valaient    plus    rien.     On    dit    que   M.    Gruizot  fait    Ic  fier   a 
Londres.     II  a  bien  tort,  car  il  a  joint  a  un  systeme  absurde- 
ment  provocateur  une  imprevoyance  fabuleuse  dans  les  mojens 
de  defense. 

Je  suis  reste  par  honneur  aupres  du  Roi  jusqu'a  la  derniere 
minute.  Je  me  suis  retire  apres,  et  j'ai  failli  etre  egorge  par 
la  populace,  qui  trois  heures  auparavant  criait:  vive  Thiers  I  a 
tue-tete.  Je  suis  depuis  demeure  en  repos,  et  j'y  demeurerai 
tant  que  je  pourrai. 

On  me  porte  dans  mon  departement ;  j'ai  deja  refuse  de 
I'etre  dans  plusleurs  autres  departements.  Je  crois  que  je  serai 
elu,  sans  en  etre  certain,  car  ce  nouveau  suffrage  universel 
recele  un  inconnu  impenetrable. 

Je  me  laisse  porter  par  devoir,  car  je  m'attends  aux  plus 
affreuses  scenes  dans  la  future  Assemblee. 
^   Paris  est  materiellement  tranquille,   vous  et  Ellice  pouvez 
venir  sans  danger.    Les  etrangers  ne  courent  aucun  peril. 

Nous  essayerons  de  fonder  une  republique  raisonnable  (si 
mes  amis  et  moi  sommes  elus),  car  nous  sommes  d'avis  que  la 
monarchic  est  impossible  aujourd'hui,  et  nous  croirona  avoir 
beaucoup  fiiit  si  nous  pouvons  donner  au  pays  une  Eepublique 
bien  constituee. 

Le  principal  danger  est  dans  les  fausses  idecs  inculquees 
dans  la  tetc  des  ouvriers.  C'estla  ce  qui  est  le  plus  a  craindre. 
Si  on  parvient  a  leur  faire  entendre  la  raison,  la  France  pourra 
§tre  sauvee. 

Tout  a  vous, 

A.  Thiers." 


"242  THE    LIFE    OP    SIR  ANTHONY  PANIZZI 

Another  letter  from  Thiers,  though  not  written  to 
Panizzi,  having  some  connection  with  this  subject, 
demands  attention,  inasmuch  as  it  notices  the  state  of 
France  a  year  after  the  Revohition,  the  unpatriotic 
and  disgraceful  conduct  of  the  Beds,  and  the 
struggles  and  endurance  of  the  Constitutional  party, 
ere  peace  and  order  could  be  re-established  in  the 
country. 

Amusing  reference  is  herein  made  to  his  friend  : — ■ 

«  Paris,  29  Juin,  1849. 

"  Mon  clier  Ami, 

Voila  plus  de  huit  on  dix  jours  que  je  cherche  un 
moment  pour  vous  ecrire  sans  parvenir  a  le  trouver.  Nous 
avons  eu  de  telles  affaires  depuis  nos  dernieres  communica- 
tions, que  le  temps  m'a  toujours  manque.  Vous  n'avez  pas 
idee  des  scenes  qui  ont  precede  le  13  Juin.  La  violence  des 
montagnards  depassalt  tout  ce  qu'on  pent  imaglner.  Je  les 
ai  pris  corps  a  corps  dans  la  personne  de  Ledru-Rollin,  et 
c'est  entre  deux  hulssiers  gardant  la  tribune  que  j'ai  pu 
parler.  Pousses  au  pled  du  mur  dans  I'Assemblee,  lis  ont  Ic 
lendemain  tente  leur  folle  insurrection,  et  lis  se  sont  heu- 
reusement  perdus.  Aujourd'hui  nous  sommes  certains  (pour 
assez  longtemps)  de  la  tranqullllte  materielle.  Le  desordre 
ne  peut  pas  I'emporter  sur  la  force.  C'est  une  grande  con- 
quete ;  mais  11  faut  assurer  par  les  lois  notre  avenir.  C'est 
la  une  besogne  des  plus  difficiles  et  des  plus  epineuses. 
Notre  Constitution  est  absurde,  nos  lois  electorales  desas- 
treuses;  heureusement  nous  avons  une  bonne  et  sage  majo- 
rite,  qui  est  disposee  a  se  tres-bien  conduire.  II  y  a  done 
des  moyens  de  salut  a  travers  beaucoup  de  chances  de  pertes. 
En  definitive,  nous  avons  beaucoup  gagne,  et  je  crois  que 
d'icl  a  quelque  temps  nous  n'agiterons  plus  I'Europe.  C'est 
quelque  chose  de  pouvoir  dire  d'un  malade  qui  vous  est  chcr, 
qu'il  y  a  chez  lui  un  mieux  sensible. 
Par  Ions  de  nos  projets. 


I 


SPANISH    MARKIAGES  243 

IMalgre  ce  scelerat,  ce  montagnard,  ce  jesulte,  ce  rouge  de 
Panizzi,  nons  voulons  partir  en  Juillet  et  etre  a  Londres  du  15 
au  20.  Nous  y  passerons  deux  ou  trois  jours,  apres  quoi  nous 
partirons  pour  I'Ecosse.  Notre  motif  e'est  de  ne  pas  avoir  la 
pluie,  qui  est  odieuse  partout,  mais  surtout  dans  le  Nord. 
Nous  voulons  voyager  tres-simplcment,  pour  ne  pas  epuiser 
notre  bourse  modeste;  mais  cependant,  ces  dames  ne  peuvent 
sc  passer  de  deux  femmes  de  chambre,  et  moi  d'un  valet  de 
chambre  :  ce  qui  fait  trois  domestiques.  Quant  aux  toilettes, 
Ic  deuil  nous  dispense  d'en  porter  beaucoup,  sans  quoi  Mme. 
Thiers  me  donnerait  des  soucis  a  cet  egard. 

Mais  il  fiuit,  que  ce  projet  vous  convienne  et  reponde  a  vos 
combinaisons  personnelles.  Si  vous  n'etiez  pas  dispose  a  alle, 
dans  votre  domaine  d'Ecosse  a  cette  epoque,  du  20  juillet  au 
10  aout,  il  ne  fiuidrait  pas  vous  deranger  et  nous  le  dire  fran- 
chement.  Agissez  avec  nous  en  toute  liberte.  II  faut  qu'il 
soit  bien  entendu  que  si  vous  ne  pouvez  pas  allcr  dans  votre 
cottage  ecossais,  vous  nous  le  disiez  a  I'avance,  et  que  vous  ne 
changiez  pour  nous  aucun  de  vos  projets. 

Tout  a  vous  de  coeur. 

A.  Thiers." 

The  remaining  letters  of  Thiers  to  Panizzi,  quoted 
below,  are  of  less  importance,  and  briefer  than  those 
which  enter  into  their  correspondence  on  the  great 
Spanish  question  ;  they  chiefly  consist  of  miscellaneous 
matter,  although  politics  have  still  a  fair  share  of 
space.  We  propose  to  place  before  the  reader  merely 
tliose    which    touch    upon    personal    and    domestic 

relations  : — 

«' Paris,  Mai  1847. 
"Mon  cber  Panizzi,  dites-mol  si  vous  pourriez  vous  charger 
de  la  commission  suivante. 

On  va  vendre  a  Londres,  en  vente  publique,  ime  collection 
d'une  vingtaine  de  tableaux,  fort  beaux,  ct  rocueillis  en  Italic 
par  un  Anglais  tres  bon  connaisseur 
K 


244  THE  LIFE   OF    SIR    AXTIIOIsT    PANIZZI 

Devore  de  la  fatale  passion  des  tableaux,  j'en  voudrais 
aclieter  deux  ou  trois. 

AUez-vous  quelquefois  dans  les  ventes  pul3liques,  ainsi  que 
nous  le  faisons  a  Paris  ? 

Voudrlez-vous  aclieter  ces  deux  ou  trois  tableaux,  pour 
mon  compte  ? 

Je  vous  dirais  les  prix,  qui  peuvent  monter  a  deux  ou  trois 
mille  francs  en  tout,  et  que  vous  tirerez  sur  moi  par  les 
Rothscliild.  C'est  dans  les  premiers  jours  dc  Juin  que  la 
vente  a  lieu.  Dans  le  cas  oil  vous  me  dirlez  oui,  je  vous 
enverrais  les  indications,  c'est-a-dire  le  catalogue  anglais,  avec 
le  numero  des  tableaux  que  je  desire. 

Nous  venons  de  renvoyer  trois  ministres,  pour  apaiser  la 
Chambre  qui  n'est  pas  apaisee.  Je  crois,  sauf  la  decision 
souveraine  des  evenements,  que  le  ministere  Guizot  tire  a  sa 
fin.  Mille  amities. 

A.  Thiers." 
"17  Juin. 

"  Mille   pardons,   mon  cber  Panizzi,  de  toutes  vos  peines. 

J'attends  mes  trois  tableaux  avec  impatience.     Les  Eothschild 

sont  ce  que  vous  dites.     Mes  trois  mille  francs,  avec  I'appoint, 

sont  prets  pour  payer  votre  traite.     Adieu,  et  mille  tendresses. 

Je  vous  aime  vous  savez  combien. 

A.  Thiers." 

"Paris,  ce  25  Juin,  1847. 
*'  Mon  cher  Panizzi, 

J'ai  repu  mes  trois  tableaux  en  bon  etat,  sauf  le  cadre 

du  Murillo,  legerement  endommage.     Les   trois    sont  bien 

ceux  que  j 'avals  designes.     Je  soutiens  qu'ils  sont  ravissants, 

car  j'ai  la  pretention  de  m'y  connaitre,  et  de  plus,  tres-jieu 

cbers.    Le  Peternof  est  le  plus  parfait  de  ce  maitre.    J'attends 

toujours  votre  traite  pour  la  solder.     Je  ne  I'ai  pas  encore 

repue.     M.  L  *  *  *  est  un  malhonnete.     Les  rois  de  I'argent 

sont  ainsi  faits.     Je  voudrais  bien  vous  aller  voir  cet  ete,  voir 

Ellice  et  tutti  qiianti,  mais  je  n'ai  pas  un  moment  a  moi.     II 

faut  que  j'aille  voir  mes    electeurs,   que  je  n'ai  pas  visites 


COMMENTS   ON   ENGLISH   POLICY  245 

depiiis  des  annecs,  que  jo  traite  trop  cavalierement,  et  qui 
commencent  a  me  bonder.  II  faut,  en  outre,  que  j'aille 
accomjDagner  jMme.  Thiers  aux  Pyrenees.  Tout  cela  ne  me 
laissera  pas  le  temps  de  respirer.  Ce  n'est  pas  tout :  j'ai  deux 
volumes  d'histoire  a  terminer !  Voila  tous  mes  esclavages  I 
Plaignez-moi,  et  prencz  en  pitie  la  destinee  humaine.  Je 
souris  quand  on  parle  liberte.  Nous  sommes  esclaves  de  mille 
lois,  sans  compter  les  lois  physiques  qui  nous  font  graviter  vers 
le  centre  de  la  terre  comme  des  pierres,  qui  nous  empechent 
de  voler  comme  des  oiseaux,  nager  comme  des  poissons,  en 
nous  reduisant,  pour  aller  un  j)eu  plus  vite,  a  etendre  des 
lames  de  fer  sur  la  terre,  Je  suis  morose,  comme  le  latin 
Lucrece,  en  songoant  a  cette  vie.  Si  quelque  chose  pouvait 
me  rejouir,  ce  serait  I'abaissement  croissant  de  ces  ministres  de 
la  contre-revolution.  lis  sont  comme  un  vaisseau  qui  a  uno 
voie  d'eau,  et  qu'on  voit  s'enfoncer  de  minute  en  minute. 
Adieu,  je  vous  aime.  A.  Thiers." 

The  first  of  these  letters,  relating  to  a  political 
question  of  the  day,  was  written  by  Thiers  on  the 
fall,  for  the  second  time,  of  Lord  Melbourne's  ad- 
ministration, and  the  consequent  accession  of  Peel  to 
power. 

It  is  amusing  to  recall  how,  on  the  previous  over- 
throw of  the  Government  of  Lord  Melbourne,  a  certain 
periodical,  of  Tory  and  Conservative  proclivities,  and 
of  undoubted  ability  and  influence,  confidently  pre- 
dicted the  eternal  exclusion  from  power,  thenceforth, 
of  the  defeated  Minister,  and  the  impossibility  of  his 
return.  The  fact  that  the  succeeding  Government  of 
Peel  lasted  but  a  few  short  months,  by  the  end  of 
which  time  Melbourne  was  reinstated,  was  a  proof  of 
the  prophetical  skill  possessed  by  the  writer  in  the 
magazine.  On  the  second  occasion,  however.  Peel  ob- 
tained a  somewhat  firmer  and  more  durable  scat. 
k2 


24G  THE    LIFE    OF    SIR   AXTHOIs^'   PANIZZI 

The  just  appreciation  shown  in  this  letter,  not  only 
of  the  political  bearing  of  events  at  the  time,  and  of 
the  character  of  Peel  himself,  but  generally  of  the 
ordinary  moderation  in  the  tone  of  English  politics, 
is  not  invariably  conspicuous  in  the  comments  usually 
made  on  England  by  foreign  critics. 

The  supposition  or  assertion  of  Monsieur  Guizot's 
despair  at  the  end  of  the  letter  was  probably  a  parting 
shot  at  a  political  rival. 

"Paris,  16  Decembre,  (1845.) 
"  Mon  cher  Panizzi, 

Yoila  bien  longteraps  que  je  veux  vous  ecrire, 
sans  en  trouver  le  temps.  D'abord,  je  vous  prie  de  remercier 
M.  C.  de  ses  oiseaux  que  j'ai  manges  avec  ma  famille 
et  mes  amis,  et  qui  etaient  excellents.  Je  ne  veux 
pas  dire  que  j'ai  mange  ma  famille  et  mes  amis,  mais  les 
oiseaux.  Enfin  vous  voila  prets  a  manger  les  Tories, 
je  fais  des  voeux  pour  qu'il  en  soit  ainsi.  II  ne  faut 
pas  renoncer  a  rallianee,  meme  avec  les  Tories,  mais  elle  me 
semble  bien  plus  solide  avec  les  Whigs,  grace  a  I'uniformite  du 
principe.  Cependant  j'ai  peur  que  mes  amis  manquent  de 
resolution.  8'ils  laissent  passer  cette  occasion  de  prendre  le 
pouvoir,  je  ne  sais  pas  quand  ils  pourront  le  reprendre.  C'est 
une  bonne  fortune  sans  pareille  pour  battre  le  parti  anti-refor. 
miste.  S'ils  laissent  M.  Peel  reprendre  son  role  de  conserva- 
teur  demi-reformiste,  il  le  continuera  a  son  profit  et  gloire,  et 
il  faut  reconnaitre  qu'il  conviendra  fort  a  I'esprit  moyen  de 
notre  temps,  justement  defini  juste-milieu  par  Louis- Philippe. 
Dussent  vos  amis  echouer  au  Parlement,  a  leur  place  je  tente- 
rais,  sauf  a  porter  la  question  devant  les  electeurs.  L'Angle- 
terre  est  un  pays  trop  legal,  pour  qu'il  y  ait  du  danger  a. 
convoquer  le  pcuplc  electoral  sur  quelque  question  que  ce  soit. 
Au  surplus,  je  fais  des  voeux  bien  plus  que  je  ne  donne  de  con- 
seils,  car  on  pent  diflicilement  avoir  un  avis  sur  un  pays  qu 


PHILIPPE-GUIZOT  247 

n'est  pas  le  votre.  On  nous  dit  que  Lord  Clarendon  doit  etre 
ambassadeur  Ici  ;  nous  en  serions  tous  encliantes.  Ce  serait  le 
meilleur  moyen  de  faire  fleurir  ralliance.  On  a  parle  aussl 
de  Lord  et  Lady  C  *  *  *  *  .  Celle-ci  est  une  personne  des  plus 
mal  choisies  pour  Paris.  Elle  est  remuante,  bel  esprit,  brouillee 
avec  les  trois  quarts  de  la  societe  de  Paris  pour  ses  imperti- 
nences, et  amie  de  la  Princesse  de  Lieven  uniquement.  Je  vous 
prie  de  me  garder  le  secret,  en  ne  disant  cela  que  la  ou  cela 
peut  etre  utile.  Je  ne  veux  pas  me  brouiller  avec  cette  redou- 
table  lady.  A  defaut  de  Clarendon,  Lord  Beauvale  serait  on 
ne  peut  mieux  venu.  Mais  en  etes-vous  a  faire  des  ambassa- 
deurs  ?  je  n'en  sais  rien.  M.  Guizot  est  au  desespoir  de  la 
chute  des  Tories.     Mille  tendresses. 

A.  T." 

The  next  letter,  from  which  the  date  of  the  year 
is  absent,  may  be  assumed,  from  the  mention  in  it 
of  the  grande  entrej)rise  of  Peel,  to  refer  to  the 
repeal  of  the  Corn  Laws,  and  in  that  case  must  have 
been  written  in  the  year  1846. 

This  assumption  appears  to  be  fully  borne  out  by 
the  further  mention  oi  PhiUjyi^e-Guizot. 

"  26  INIars. 
*'  Mon  clior  Panizzi, 

Je  sais  que  vous  avez  approuve  mon  dernier  discours 
Ad  Philippum.  Celui-ci  a  ete  fort  mecontent,  ce  dont  je  me 
soucie  peu,  car  je  ne  veux  ni  le  flatter  ni  le  blesser.  Je  vais 
a  mon  but  qui  est  la  verite,  et  ne  regarde  ni  a  droite  ni  a 
gauche.  Nous  attendons  ici  la  fin  de  votre  grande  entreprise, 
;ivec  une  extreme  curiosite.  On  dit  que  jNI.  Peel  se  retirera 
apres.  Soit,  si  vos  amis  doivent  arriver.  On  vous  craint  et 
on  vous  deteste  ici  {vous  veut  dire  Whigs),  et  on  fait  des 
vceux  ardents  pour  le  maintien  de  M.  Peel,  et  comme  on 
<jroit  ce  qu'on  desire,  on  annonce  volontiers  le  maintien  de 
M.  Peel.     On  veut  dire  PhiUppc-Guizot. 


248  THE    LIFE    OF   SIR    ANTHONY   PANIZZI 

Dites-moi  ce  qu'il  en  faut  croire.  On  so  flatte  volontlers 
que  les  Whigs  arrivant,  Lord  Palmerston  n'en  sera  pas. 

Je  vous  adresse  50  exemplaires  de  mon  discours  que  je 
vous  prie  de  distribuer,  25  en  habit  habille,  25  en  habit 
neglige.  Vous  les  distribuerez  a  votre  gre.  Je  vous  prie  de 
les  faire  arrlver  notamment  a  MM.  Russell,  Palmerston,  Ellice, 
Clarendon,  Macaulay,  Lansdowne,  Lord  Ashburton,  Peel, 
Aberdeen,  Lady  Harriette,  etc.  Vous  suppleerez  a  ma 
memoire. 

La  belle  Contessa  Taverna  est  partie,  nous  laissant  dans  la 

tristesse  du  coeur. 

Adieu,  et  mille  tcndresses. 

A.  Thiers." 

*'  Je  clicrche  une  voie  pour  vous  faire  arrlver  mes  50  ex- 
emplaires. Si  je  ne  la  trouve  pas,  vous  feriez  bien  de  me 
I'indiquer  courrier  par  courrier." 

In  another  epistle  Thiers  makes  amusing  allusion  to 
Panizzi's  patriotism,  and  suggests  means  of  liberating 
his  country  from  tyranny  and  oppression  which  were 
more  desirable  than  practicable,  and  which,  to  say  the 
least,  were  not  likely  to  come  to  pass  just  at  that  time, 
even  with  the  patriot's  most  earnest  aspirations. 

Happily  the  Italians  have  succeeded  in  achieving 
their  own  liberty,  not  only  without  the  aid  of  foreign 
support,  but  in  the  teeth  of  very  formidable  and 
determined  foreign  opposition : — 

"9  Novembre,  1847. 
^      <*Mon  cher  Panizzi, 

Je  n'ai  rien  a  ajouter  a  la  lettre  ci-jointe;  je  dis  \k 
tout  ce  que  je  dirais  ici,  ear  je  n'ai  qu'une  maniere  de  penser 
et  de  sentir.  Je  vous  ajoute  ces  quelques  mots  pour  vous 
dire  que  vous  ferez  de  ma  lettre  tout  ce  que  vous  voudrez: 
si  vous  la  trouvez  de  tout  point  convenable,  et  bonne  a  etre 
envoyee  a  Lord  Clarendon,  vous  pouvez  la  lui  envoyer;  il 
fi'en  servira  comme  il  jugera  a  propos.     J'ai  bien  le  projet  de 


ENGLISH    POLITICS  249 

vous  aller  revoir,  et  le  plus  tot  possible.  Adieu;  embrassez 
Ellice  sur  le  front,  comme  s'il  etait  jeune,  joli  et  pur  autant 
que  ses  charmantes  nieces.  Adieu;  n'excluez  pas  Cromwell 
du  Parleinent,  et  faites  deereter  une  expedition  Britannique 
centre  les  petits  tyi-ans  Italiens.  La  belle  Comtesse  Taverna 
est  malade,  et  seule  a  Paris;  venez  nous  aider  a  la  consoler. 

A.  T." 

Lastly,  we  add  a  letter  to  Hatherfurd,  written 
by  Panizzi  while  staying  at  Lord  Clarendon's.  This 
letter  seems  to  treat  almost  entirely  of  English  poli- 
tics, and  furnishes  an  excellent  specimen  of  the  acute- 
ness  of  the  writer's  judgment  on  this  subject,  and,  as 
it  contains  references  to  Thiers,  this  has  been  thought. 
a  not  unfit  place  for  its  introduction.  It  is  without 
date,  but  the  contents  show  it  to  have  been  written 
early  in  January,  184G;  and  certain  passages  in  it. 
may  possibly,  after  such  a  lapse  of  time,  require  a  few 
words  of  explanation.  In  the  previous  year,  it  will  be' 
remembered,  the  Government  of  Sir  Robert  Peel  had' 
become  involved  in  extreme  difficulty,  and  an  attempt 
had  been  made  by  Lord  John  Russell  to  form  a 
ministry  capable  of  settling  the  vexed  question  of  the 
Corn  Laws.  This  attempt  proved  signally  unsuccess- 
ful, owing  to  an  unhappy  difference,  which  it  is  not 
too  much  to  designate  as  a  quarrel,  that  had  sprung 
up  between  Lord  Palmerston  and  Lord  Grey.  On  the 
conduct  of  the  latter  in  the  affair,  Lord  Macaulay  had 
written  to  a  correspondent  in  Edinburgh  a  letter  con- 
taining severe  animadAcrsions,  which  he  wished  to  be 
strictly  private. 

Unfortunately,  his  correspondent,  unaware,  pro- 
bably, of  the  writer's  wishes,  and  taking  upon  himself 
to  think  that  so  decided  an  expression  of  opinion  on 


250  illE    LIFE  OF    SIR   ANTHONY    PANIZZI 

the  part  of  so  important  a  person  was  the  legitimate 
property  of  the  political  world  at  large,  sent  the  letter 
for  publication  to  a  leading  Edinburgh  newspaper, 
wherein  it  forthwith  appeared,  much  to  the  disgust 
of  Macaulay,  and  the  displeasure  of  all  right-thinking 
men.  Panizzi's  remarks  on  this  gentleman's  course 
of  action  are  such  as  to  be  fully  permissible  under 

the  circumstances  : — 

"  The  Grove," 

Sunday. 

"  My  Dear  Rutlierfurd, 

I  rejoice  at  the  prospect  of  your  being  here  early  this 
year,  Avhen  we  shall,  I  trust,  spend  many  hours  together,  the 
more  so  if  I  become  a  member  of  Brooke's,  ^  where  the  "  Bear  "  ^ 
took  me  to  dinner  one  day,  against  all  rules  and  principles, 
and  then  said  I  ought  to  become  a  member,  and  put  down  my 
name,  and  the  good  lord  of  this  house  ^  gladly  seconded  it,  and 
I  suppose  no  one  will  object  to  me  as  far  as  I  can  guess. 
^  As  to  the  important  part  of  your  letter,  respecting  public 
affairs  and  the  late  hubbub,  I,  first  of  all,  agree  with  you 
that,  although  things  have  not  gone  quite  rigid,  they  are  not  so 
bad  as  some  thought  (they  don't  think  so  now,  and  will  think 
better  of  them  every  day,  after  the  first  week  of  the  session). 

It  seems  to  me  evident,  whatever  majf  be  said  by  those  whose 
ambition  or  greediness  warps  the  judgment,  that  the  Whigs 
ought  not  to  have  taken  office  if  tlicy  could  help  it.  It  is 
better  that  the  world  should  see  that  it  is  they,  out  of  office 
and  on  principle,  who  help  a  government  to  carry  their  (I 
mean  the  opposition's)  measures,  than  that  they,  the  Whigs, 
should  be  at  the  mercy  of  their  opponents  for  going  on  at  all. 

Peel  would  have   brought  them  about  25   members,  and 


(1)    Proposed  on  the   ]7th  December,  1815  ;  elected  17th  February,  181G ; 

resigned  his  membership  18th  December,  1873. 

(2)  The  sobriquet  of  the  Eight  Honourable  E:  Ellice* 

(3)  Lord  Clarendon. 


THE    CORX    LAW    AGITATIOX  251 

with  those,  and  great  exertions  and  excitement,  the  Corn 
Laws  might  have  been  repealed  ;  but  then  would  they  not 
have  been  in  their  enemies'  hands  on  all  other  questions,  and 
on  the  most  trifling  measure  unpalatable  to  the  Tories  ? 
Would  not  Peel  then  have  left  them  ?  And  do  you  think 
that  he  would  not  have  made  his  peace  with  the  Tories,  and 
be  brought  back  by  them  and  by  those  who  would  attribute, 
though  Tories,  the  carrying  of  the  good  measure  repealing  the 
Corn  Laws,  to  his  support  out  of  office,  of  his  opponents  ? 
For  you  must  not  forget  there  are  many  friends  of  Peel  who 
are  against  the  Corn  Laws  ;  whereas  there  is  not  one  Corn 
Law  friend  who  is  a  friend  of  the  Whigs,  and  who  would, 
soon  at  all  events,  forgive  them  for  repealing  that  Corn  Law. 
The  Whigs  who  join  the  Tories  on  this  question  would,  un- 
questionably, have  joined  them  in  opposing  Lord  John's 
Government,  now  and  for  some  time  to  come ;  then,  had 
you  Whigs  failed  even  in  carrying  the  repeal  of  the  Cora 
Laws,  and  being  obliged  to  resign  reinfecta,  you  would  liave 
been  the  object  of  universal  hatred  and  contempt  from  both 
friends  and  enemies.  From  the  former  for  having  done  too 
little,  from  the  latter  for  having  done  too  much,  and  shown 
you  are  not  either  powerful  friends  or  terrible  enemies. 

But  out  of  office  you  are  2o0.  You  can  set  your  enemies 
by  the  ears ;  the  public  will  see  that  it  is  you  who  command 
the  measures,  though  your  opponents  carry  them  through  by 
your  patronage  of  them  ;  and  when  once  this,  the  greatest  of 
all  changes,  is  completed  by  the  leader  of  those  who  oppose  it 
most,  the  two  great  divisions  or  parties  of  Whigs  and  Tories 
will  be  left  in  their  natural  position,  without  any  extraneous 
element  to  alter  their  essence ;  but  the  Whigs  will  be  united, 
with  the  Reform  Bill  fairly  working  in  town  and  country,  and 
the  Tories  would  be  at  sixes  and  sevens  amongst  themselves, 
and  with  a  leader  who  has  insulted,  deceived,  and  crushed 
them. 

But  if  it  were  to  be  -wished  that  the  Whigs  had  not  under- 
taken to  form  a  Government,  it  were  also  desirable  that  they 


252 


THE    LIFE    OF    SIR   ANTHONY'    PANIZZI 


should  not  have  been  obliged  to  give  up  on  account  of  a. 
crotchety  nobleman,  who 

"  Mai  del  corpo  intero 
E  della  mente  peggio," 
quarrels  so  easily  with  every  one,  and  does  not  probably  agree 
with  himself.  It  gives  a  despicable  opinion  of  the  power  of  a 
party  that  cannot  do  or  will  not  do  without  such  a  man,  and 
personal  objections  of  not  a  grand  and  important  public  prin- 
ciple that  prevent  two  great  men  from  agreeing  together  at  all 
conscientiously,  are  but  sorry  reasons  to  give  for  such  a  fail- 
ure. The  discreet  letter  of  our  friend  Tom  is  certainly  to  be 
regretted ;  the  discreet  friend  to  whom  he  wrote  it  deserves  to 
be  kicked  for  his  breach  of  confidence.  The  less  said  the 
sooner  mended  on  that.  Grey  will  be  up,  say  his  say, 
Macaulay,  I  hope,  will  not  answer  him,  and  the  matter  will  so 
far  end  and  be  forgotten. 

But  other  explanations  will  be  necessary.  I  am  surprised 
you  don't  know  more  of  what  really  passed,  as  I  should  have 
thought  Lord  John,  being  at  Edinburgh,  would  have  told 
you  all.  But,  perhaps,  he  does  not  like  to  say  the  whole;, 
and  so  recollect  that  I  write  in  full  confidence.  You  may 
rely  on  the  correctness  of  what  I  say,  and,  of  course,  use  the 
knowledge  as  a  prudent  man  to  shape  your  questions  and 
answers.  Dont  compromise  me,  or  say  what  you  know,, 
because,  even  without  my  name  being  mentioned,  your 
authority  would  certainly  be  guessed.  It  so  happens  that  I 
have  had  occasion  to  hear  much  about  all  this,  and  it  is  known 
that  I  have  heard  so  much.  Macaulay  did  not  wait  for 
Lord  Grey's  consent  or  conniving  or  declaration,  but  joined 
the  other  at  once. 

Lord  Grey  told  Ellice  at  Norwich  that  he  objected  to  Pal- 
merston  as  Foreign  Secretary,  but  Ellice  was  far  from  being 
requested  to  inform  Lord  John  of  it.  Yet,  like  a  prudent 
man,  he  wrote  up:  "Here  at  Norwich  I  find  all  smooth, 
except  as  to  the  Foreign  Department."  When  they  came  to 
town,  Ellice  was  told  the   objection  of  Grey  had  been  got 


THE    CORX    LAW    AGITATIOX  25 S 

over;  but  on  the  Thursday  night  he  learned  that  it  was  a 
mistake,  and  I  know  how  and  from  whom ;  you  shall  hear  it 
all  when  here.  Yet  he  thought  it  might  be  arranged.  Lord 
Grey  goes  about  reading  in  his  defence  a  letter  he  wrote  to 
Lord  John,  to  show  that,  in  due  time,  he  gave  notice  of  his 
objection  ;  but  two  persons  who  have  read  the  letter  say  it  i& 
so  full  of  generalities,  that  no  one  guessed  to  whom  it  pointed. 
No  one  dreamed  of  Lord  Palmerston  being  the  object;  but,  as 
he  spoke  as  not  having  regard  to  person  in  the  arrangements,  it 
was  guessed  that  the  hints  were  intended  against  replacing 
Minto  at  the  Admiralty.  You  will  perceive  that  the  Bear  is 
above  all  accusation;  some  may  say  that  Lord  John  himself 
may  be  found  fault  with,  but  then  no  one  thought  that  Grey 
would  carry  the  matter  so  far,  and  it  was  expected  that  he 
would  yield,  and  that  led. to  keeping  his  objection,  or  so  it 
was  understood,  in  the  back  ground,  not  to  give  it  more 
importance  that  it  might  have.  The  only  one  to  blame  is 
Grey,  he  ought  either  to  have  spoken  out  at  once  dearly 
himself,  or  yielded  as  others  have  done,  who  were  against 
asking  the  Government  at  all,  and  yet  yielded  to  the  opinion 
of  the  majority  of  their  friends,  and  cheerfully  joined  them 
in  leading  what  they  considered  the  n\o$,t  forlorn  hope. 

All  the  others  I  can  safely  assure  you  are  perfectly  friendly. 
Lord  John  declares  he  will  never  have  anything  to  do  politi- 
cally with  Grey,  so  say  the  others.  Lord  Palmerston  is 
entirely  satisfied  with  the  Bear's  conduct.  If  the  foolish  para- 
graphs in  the  newspapers  had  caused  him  to  feel  any  distrust 
or  jealousy  of  Lord  Clarendon  (which  I  doubt  and  hope  not), 
that  has  been  totally  and  wholly  removed,  I  am  happy  to  say 
by  the  writer  of  this  enormous  letter.  (It  is  as  long  as  a 
sermon.)  Lord  Clarendon  behaved  above  all  praise,  and  Lord 
Palmerston  feels  and  avows  it. 

Thiers  Avrotc  to  me  a  capital  and  most  friendly  letter,  ot 
course  not  for  me  only,  although  most  private.  I  took  care 
to  communicate  it  to  the  proper  quarters,  and  it  has  had  a 
good  effect,  and  cemented  the  good  understanding  that  I  was 


254 


THE    LIFE   OF   SIR  ANTHONY   PANIZZI 


SO  happy  in  bringing  about  when  Thiers  was  here  (Lady 
Holland  who  knew  all  about  it  took  all  the  credit  herself  ! ! !), 
and  Palmerston's  explanations  (do  you  think  it  will  be  a  trifle 
for  him  to  get  over?)  and  his  colleagues — why  did  he  resign? 
Why  does  he  come  in  with  the  same  crew?  Did  they  rebel? 
Why  do  tliey  submit?  Sixteen  members  of  the  Cabinet  bespeak 
confusion.  Are  they  to  know  what  he  is  to  do,  or  to  obey 
blindly?  Some  of  the  underlings  turn  restive.  Lord  Mahon, 
for  instance,  I  am  told,  will  resign;  if  Peel  were  completely 
free-trader  even  in  corn.     Come  up,,  &c.,  &c., 

Yours  affectionately, 

A.  Panizzi." 

The  correspondence  between  Panizzi  and  Thiers 
extended  no  further  than  the  letters  set  forth  above. 

Later  on  a  feeling  of  coolness  seems  to  have  arisen 
between  the  two,  the  real  origin  of  which  it  is  difficult 
to  determine ;  but  if  a  conjecture  may  be  hazarded, 
it  was  possibly  caused  by  the  fact  that  Thiers  declined 
to  extend  his  love  for  Panizzi — or,  at  least,  any  bene- 
ficial effects  of  it — to  Panizzi's  countrymen  in  general, 
and  thereby  offended  the  ever  ardent  patriotism  of  his 
friend.  Be  that  as  it  may,  the  intimate  relation, 
which  had  so  long  subsisted  between  these  once  firm 
allies  gradually  cooled ;  and  during  the  last  years  of 
their  lives  little  or  no  communication  passed  between 
them.  Nevertheless,  the  letters  given  will  be  valuable 
in  the  eyes  of  all  admirers  of  the  distinguished  states- 
man whose  pen  has  so  short  a  time  since  been  stayed 
for  ever  by  the  cold  hand  of  death,  and  will  serve  as 
invaluable  evidence  of  his  ideas  on  various  subjects  of 
interest  and  importance. 


CHAPTER   VIII 

The  Royal  Commissio)),  18-17-49. 

O  return  to  the  British  Museum  an 
the  Royal  Commission  of  1847-49- 
which  differed  widely  from  the  Cora 
mittee  of  1835-36.  Before  both  Par- 
liamentary Committee  and  Royal  Com- 
mission, the  Institution  was  on  its  trial,  but  the  points 
of  attack  were  different.  In  183-3,  the  Natural  History 
Departments  engrossed  the  principal  attention,  while 
the  Library  escaped  with  comparatively  slight  notice, 
for  although  its  deficiencies  were  not  less  conspicuous 
than  those  of  the  Natural  History  Department,  the 
public  standard  of  completeness  in  the  Library 
was  low.  Panizzi  had  been  Keeper  eleven  out  of 
the  twelve  years.  There  could  hardly  have  been  a 
better  proof  of  his  administration  than  the  elevated 
ideal  of  a  public  Library  which  it  had  produced.  He 
was  tried  by  a  standard  of  his  own,  which  but  for 
him  would  have  had  no  existence.  Many  silent  in 
18 3G  were  now  clamorous  for  the  realization  of  an 
ideal  which  they  owed  to  him,  and  the  severity  of 
their  attacks  was  in  truth  the  best  testimony  to  his 
desert. 


256 


THE    LIFE    OF   SIR   ANTHONY   TANIZZI 


It  soon  appeared  that  Panizzi  would  be  the  lion  of 
the  day,  and  that  the  proceedmgs  of  the  Commission 
would  be  chiefly  important  as  they  might  result  in  con- 
firming or  weakening  his  position  with  the  public.  It 
was  believed,  indeed,  that  the  dissatisfaction  of 
scientific  men  with  the  preponderance  of  literature  - 
in  the  governing  body  had  much  to  do  with  the 
appointment  of  the  Commission ;  and  the  ostensible 
cause  was  undoubtedly  a  memorial  addressed  by 
many  persons  of  high  eminence  in  scieuce  to  the 
Prime  Minister  on  March  10th,  1847.  The 
centre  of  gravity,  nevertheless,  shifted  very  quickly. 
The  proceedings  of  the  Commission,  as  regarded 
the  Library,  were  interesting  from  beginning  to  end ; 
elsewhere,  though  much  that  was  curious  and  amus- 
ing came  to  light,  it  would  hardly  be  thought  that 
a  nodus  tali  dignus  vindice  had  been  shown  to  exist 
If  such  there  were,  it  was  in  the  Secretary's  Office, 
where  irregularities  were  admitted  requiring  correc- 
tion, and  involving  the  examination  of  the  whole 
anomalous  system  by  which,  in  a  measure  since 
1828,  and  more  particularly  since  the  Committee  of 
1835,  the  Secretary  had  been  allowed  to  usurp  the 
functions  of  the  Principal  Librarian.  Everywhere  else 
the  subjects  calling  for  inquiry  were  comparatively 
slight,  such  as  misunderstandings  between  Sir  C 
Fellows  and  Sir  R.  Westmacott  respecting  the  ar- 
rangement of  the  Xanthian  marbles,  or  disagreements 
between  Dr.  Gray  and  Mr,  Konig  respecting  the 
rightful  custody  of  the  Gilbertson  fossils  and  the  boun- 
daries of  Zoology  and  Pakeontology  in  general.  The 
Library  was  the  real  field   of  contention,  and  matters 


THE   BRITISH   MUSEUM  257 

relating  to  it  occupy  more  than  one  half  of  the  bulky 
ftome  in  which  the  evidence  and  recommendations  of 
the  Committee  were  finally  embodied  (1850). 

The  Commission  was  originally  appointed  on  June 
17th,  1847,  but  was  only  enabled  to  hold  three  sittings 
■during  the  expiring  session  of  that  year. 

It  reassembled  in  1848,  amid  the  storms  of  Conti- 
nental revolution  which  inevitably  occupied  much  of 
the  time  and  thoughts  of  its  members  ;  and  it  was 
•soon  discovered,  both  that  its  numbers  were  too  limited, 
and  that  the  quorum  required  by  the  Royal  Letters  of 
appointment  was  too  large  to  insure  the  indispensable 
regularity  of  attendance.  It  having  on  one  occasion 
proved  impossible  to  obtain  a  sufficient  attendance, 
the  original  Commission  was  revoked,  and  a  new  one 
issued,  increasing  the  number  of  Commissioners  from 
■eleven  to  fourteen,  and  reducing  the  number  neces- 
jary  for  despatch  of  business  from  five  to  three  (May 
5,  1848). 

The  Commission,  as  thus  finally  constituted,  was  a 
very  strong  one,  presided  over  by  so  accomplished  a 
man  of  letters  as  Lord  EUesmere,  and  including, 
■among  its  more  active  members  Lord  Seymour  (the 
present  Duke  of  Somerset),  Lord  Canning,  Sir  R. 
Murchison,  and  the  Lord  Advocate,  Mr.  Andrew 
Rutherfurd.  Mr.  John  Payne  Collier,  at  that  time 
Librarian  to  the  Duke  of  Devonshire,  officiated  as 
Secretary. 

The  first  attention  of  the  Commissioners  was  natur- 
ally directed  to  the  Principal  Librarian's  and  Secretary's 
Offices,  and  their  inquiry  soon  brought  out  the  extent 
to  which  the  functions  of  the  former  had  come  to  be 


258  THE    LIFE    OF   SIR  ANTHONY    PANIZZI 

discharged  by  the  latter.  "  He  has  risen,"  said  the 
report,  "to  be  the  most  im2:)ortant  officer  in  the  estab- 
lishment, though  without  that  resjDonsibility  which 
attached  to  the  Principal  Librarian  and  the  heads  of 
departments."  The  importance  which  the  Commis- 
sioners rightly  ascribed  to  this  officer  entirely  de- 
pended upon  his  preparation  of  the  agenda  to  be 
submitted  to  the  Trustees,  and  his  habitual  attendance 
at  their  meetings.  The  duties  of  his  office  were  in 
other  respects  so  light,  although  they  had  been  re- 
presented to  require  the  assistance  of  a  subordinate, 
who  had  actually  been  appointed  (Mr.  Fitzgerald, 
subsequently  Prime  Minister  in  New  Zealand),  that 
Avhen  Mr.  Forshall  was  attacked  with  serious  illness, 
during  the  sittings  of  the  Commissioners,  Sir  Henry 
Ellis  found  himself  able  to  discharge  all  the  duties  of 
the  Secretary  in  addition  to  his  o^vn.  Of  an  endeavour 
which  had  been  made  to  find  the  Secretary  occupa- 
tion in  kee23ing  a  register  of  acquisitions,'the  Commis- 
sioners were  obliged  to  report  that  this  document,  as 
prepared  in  his  office,  was  "  not  only  of  no  practical 
"use,  but  in  some  cases  destructive  of  responsibility  " 

Under  these  circumstances,  the  Commissioners  very 
quickly  came  to  the  conclusion  that  the  false  step 
made  in  1837  must  be  retraced,  and  the  offices  of 
Principal  Librarian  and  Secretary  amalgamated — a 
decision  so  obviously  sound  that  it  must  jKobably 
have  been  carried  into  effect,  even  if,  shortly  after  the 
close  of  their  deliberations,  Mr.  Forshall's  infirmities 
had  not  rendered  his  retirement  absolutely  inevitable^ 

The  administration  of  the  Secretary's  Office  had  a 
strong  bearing  upon  the  questions   relating   to   the 


THE   BRITISH    MUSEUM  259' 

Department  of  Printed   Books  of   which  the  Com- 
missioners had    to    take    cognizance.      Nothing    had 
more  strongly  excited  public  animadversion  than  the 
delay  in  the  preparation  of  the  new  printed  Catalogue. 
The  Trustees,  as  was  supposed,  had  directed  that  it 
should  be  complete  in  print  by  the  end  of  1844.     The 
year  1848  had  now  come,  and  it  had  not  progressed,, 
even  in  manuscript,  beyond  letter  D.    One  volume,  con- 
taining letter  A  (or  part  of  it),  had  been  printed  in  1841, 
and  there  were  no  symptoms  of  a  successor.  Panizzi  was 
able  to  show  convincingly  how  contradictory  were  the 
instructions  which  the  inexplicable  carelessness  of  the 
executive  department  had  allowed  to  be  attributed  to 
the    Trustees.      In     the    manuscript    copy    of    their 
minute  of  July  13,  1839,  the  application  of  the  rules 
of  cataloguing  was  left  to  his  discretion.     In  the  copy 
subsequently  printed  by  direction  of   the    Trustees, 
this  discretion  was  limited  to  titles  already  prepared. 
In  the  former  he  was  ordered  to  have  the  Catalogue 
ready  in  press  by  December,  1844.     In  the  latter  he 
was  told  that  it  must  be  ready /br  press.     The  latter, 
it  would   appear,  was  wliat   tJie   Trustees  really  in- 
tended ;    but  no  intimation  of    their  wishes    having- 
been  conveyed  to   Panizzi,  time,  labour,  and   money 
had  been   wasted  in    printing  an  imperfect  volume, 
which,  it  now  appeared,  need  not  have  been  printed 
at   all ;  whilst  the  supposed  necessity  for  an  alpha- 
betical method  of  cataloguing  had  prevented  recourse 
to  the   much  more    expeditious    plan  of  taking   the 
books  shelf  by  shelf.     It  further  appeared   that   this 
unfortunate  minute  need  not  necessarily  have   been 
final.      An  opportunity  for  remonstrance    had   been 
S 


:260  THE  life  of  sir  anthony  panizzi 

expressly  reseiTed,  but  the  portion  of  the  document 
referring  to  this  point  having  been  kept  from 
Panizzi's  knowledge,  no  action  could  be  taken,  so 
that  the  Trustees  and  their  Officer  were  committed 
to  an  impracticable  undertaking.  The  Commis- 
sioners determined  that  "  any  delay  which  could 
have  been  avoided  was  mainly  ascribable  to  the  desire 
of  the  Trustees  to  hurry  on  printing." 

A  still  more  important  question  was  whether  the 
Catalogue  ought  to  be  printed  at  all.  The  opinion 
of  the  literary  witnesses  unconnected  with  the  Museum 
Avas  naturally  strongly  in  favour  of  a  printed  Cata- 
logue. The  opinion  of  Panizzi  may  be  gathered  from 
the  verbal  replies  he  had  already  given  to  questions 
23ut  to  him  by  the  Library  Committee  of  the  Trustees 
on  March  6th,  1847. 

"  The  Catalogue  might  be  completed  by  the  end  of  1854  of 
all  the  books  which  the  Museum  will  contain  up  to  that 
period.  It  would  take  to  1860  to  prepare  such  Catalogue  in 
such  a  state  of  revision  as  might  be  fit  for  the  press.  It  would 
occupy  seventy  vohimes.  It  would  require  one  year  to  correct 
the  press  of  two  volumes.  It  would,  therefore,  require  thirty- 
five  years  to  pass  the  catalogue  through  the  press,  and,  when 
completed  in  1895,  it  would  represent  the  state  of  the  Library 
in  1854." 

This  estimate  could  not  be  impeached  if  its  basis 
were  admitted — namely,  that  the  system  already 
adopted  in  framing  the  Catalogue  was  to  be  adhered 
to.  Many  men  of  letters,  however,  thought  that  the 
plan  of  the  Catalogue  might  be  contracted  with  ad- 
vantage, but  found  it  difficult  to  answer  the  argu- 
ment that  the  work  already  done  must,  in  that  case, 
be  thrown  away.    Mr.  J.  Payne  Collier,  the  Secretary 


THE    BRITISH   MUSEUM  261 

to  the  Commission,  apparently  thought  this  sacrifice 
immaterial.  He  had  convinced  himself  that  by  short 
entries,  and  a  disregard  of  minor  niceties,  the  rate  of 
cataloguing  could  be  accelerated  fourfold,  and  was, 
perhaps,  justified  in  considering  that  if  so,  the  aban- 
donment of  all  that  had  been  effected  would  be  a 
measure  of  economy.  Unluckily  for  Mr.  Collie.r,  he 
did  not,  like  Panizzi's  other  antagonists,  confine  him- 
self to  abstract  propositions,  but  rashly  exhibited 
himself  in  the  light  of  an  amateur  cataloguer.  He 
catalogued  twenty-five  books  in  his  own  library,  and 
placed  the  titles  in  the  hands  of  Panizzi,  who  trans- 
ferred them  for  examination  to  his  principal  Assist- 
ant, Mr.  Winter  Jones.  "  They  contain,"  said  Mr. 
Jones,  "  almost  every  possible  error  which  can  be 
committed  in  cataloguing  books,  and  are  open  to 
almost  every  possible  objection  which  can  be  brought 
against  concise  titles." 

As  Mr.  Collier  had  entered  a  play  of  Aristophanes 
Tinder  Mitchell,  and  the  works  of  Shakespeare  under 
Schlegel,  as  he  had  put  an  anonymous  English  book 
under  a  writer  to  whom  it  was  only  attributed  con- 
jecturally,  and  had  catalogued  a  collection  of  plays  in 
such  a  manner  as  to  suggest  that  it  was  a  history  of  the 
drama,  the  justice  of  Mr.  Jones'  characterization  could 
not  be  disputed.  The  Commissioners  were,  doubt- 
less, justified  in  the  unexpressed  conclusion  at  which 
they  e\ddently  arrived,  that  such  blunders,  committed 
by  a  man  of  Mr.  Collier's  attainments,  must  be  at- 
tributable to  the  fundamental  errors  of  his  system. 
Mr.  J.  Bruce,  Mr.  G.  L.  Craik,  and  other  advocates 
of  hasty  work  and  concise  catalogues,  would  have 
s2 


262  THE    LIFE    OP   SIR   ANTHONY    PANIZZI 

fared  no  better  at  the  hands  of  Mr.  Whiter  Jones. 
One  of  them,  mdeed,  Mr.  J.  G.  Cochrane,  of  the 
London  Library,  had  actually  produced  a  Catalogue, 
the  unscientific  character  of  which  was  pungently  ex- 
posed by  Professor  De  Morgan,  by  far  the  most 
bibliographically  competent  of  all  the  Avitnesses, 
and  whose  profound  acquaintance  with  early  mathe- 
matical literature  enabled  him  to  demonstrate  what 
research,  accuracy,  and  scholarship,  the  correct  de- 
scription of  such  literature  demands.  Another 
valuable  witness  was  Mr.  John  Wilson  Croker,  whose 
evidence  was  in  general  full  of  good  sense,  and  who 
brought  forward  the  scheme  (already  independently 
suggested  by  Mr.  E.  Roy  of  the  Library)  for  keeping 
up  the  Catalogue  on  movable  slips  pasted  on  the  leaf, 
and  thus  admitting  of  displacement  when  it  became 
necessary  to  insert  new  matter.  This  plan  was  sub- 
sequently adopted,  and  proved  adequate  for  all 
practical  purposes  until  recently,  when,  from  the 
enormous  bulk  of  the  Manuscript  Catalogue,  printing 
has  been  adopted. 

Several  other  matters  of  great,  though  minor,  im- 
portance were  the  subject  of  detailed  explanation  on 
the  part  of  Panizzi.  He  had  to  rebut  the  frequent 
complaints  made  on  account  of  deficiencies  in  the 
Library.  These  proved  to  be  utterly  unfounded  in 
almost  every  S23ecific  instance  alleged,  with  the 
sole  exception  of  the  English  books  which  had  not 
been  duly  delivered  under  the  Copyright-Act,  the  en- 
forcement of  which  was  at  that  time,  as  we  shall 
hereafter  fully  discuss,  no  part  of  the  keeper  s  duty, 
and  had  been  performed  with  little  zeal  by  the  Se- 


THE   BRITISH   MUSEUM  2G5 

cretaiy.  As  regarded  the  unquestionable  deficiencies 
of  the  Library  in  foreign  literature,  no  one,  it  was  ad- 
mitted, had  exposed  them  so  energetically  as  Panizzi 
himself  in  the  celebrated  report  of  18 do,  to  which 
reference  has  already  been  made.  He  had  done 
more  than  j)oint  them  out ;  by  personal  influence 
he  had  obtained  the  grant  of  £10,000  per  annum 
towards  making  them  good.  Not  the  least  interest- 
ing jDortion  of  his  evidence  related  to  the  measures 
adopted  to  this  end  in  concert  with  intelligent 
booksellers,  such  as  Asher  and  Stevens.  The 
Grenville  Library,  however,  had  been  by  far  the 
most  brilliant  acquisition  of  his  Keepersliip ;  and 
this,  as  we  shall  soon  show,  was  wholly  due  to 
his  private  influence  with  IMr.  Grenville.  His 
prescience  of  the  ultimate  destination  of  this  magni- 
ficent collection  accounted  for  his  apparent  neglect  of 
several  opportunities  of  acquiring  books,  for  which  he 
had  silently  submitted  to  censure.  There  was  nothing 
in  which  Panizzi's  practical  good  sense  was  more 
apparent  than  in  the  improvements  introduced  by 
him  into  binding,  whether  as  regards  economy  or 
durability.  The  books  bound  before  his  time  are  in 
very  many  instances  tumbling  to  pieces,  and  not  from 
use,  while  not  a  single  book  bound  under  his  direc- 
tion has  required  rebinding,  except  from  excessive 
wear  and  tear. 

On  the  whole,  it  may  be  confidently  affirmed  that 
no  public  officer  whose  conduct  had  been  subjected  to 
scrutiny  ever  established  a  more  triumphant  justifica- 
tion than  Panizzi,  and  that  investigation  has  seldom 
brought  to  light  more  creditable  facts,  previously  un- 


264  THE    LIFE    OF    SIR    ANTHONY    PANIZZI 

known,  or  not  properly  appreciated.  His  detractors 
were  covered  with  confusion,  and  lie  appeared  to  the- 
world  as  the  one  man  in  the  Museum  endowed  with 
signal  administrative  talent,  and  as  qualified,  above 
all  other  men,  to  be  at  the  head  of  the  Institution.  The 
Commissioners  did  not  say  this  in  so  many  Avords,  but 
their  opinion  was  no  mystery,  and  their  report,  in  so 
far  as  the  Library  was  concerned,  was  in  general  but 
the  echo  or  endorsement  of  Panizzi's  views. 

One  most  important  recommendation  they  made,, 
which  unfortunately  was  not  acted  njoon — viz.,  the- 
provision  of  means  for  the  compilation  of  an  index  of 
subjects  to  the  catalogue,  to  proceed  ^;«ri  jjcissu  with 
the  alphabetical  titles  of  the  latter.  This  w^ould 
have  doubled  the  value  of  the  Catalogue ;  but 
thirty  years  have  passed,  and  the  Catalogue  is 
still  destitute  of  this  inestimable  auxiliary.  The 
suggestion  may  still  be  carried  into  effect  at  any 
moment,  as  regards  accessions  for  the  future;  but 
the  lost  ground  will  be  regained  with  difficulty. 

Of  many  other  questions  raised,  the  only  really 
im]3ortant  one,  outside  the  Printed  Book  Dej)artment, 
related  to  the  Secretary's  Office,  and  here  the  Commis- 
sioners' purpose  was  firm,  and  the  reform  they  pro- 
posed radical.  The  post  of  Secretary,  as  distinct  from 
that  of  Principal  Librarian,  was  to  be  abolished  alto- 
gether. This  return  to  the  ancient  practice  of  the 
Museum  had  the  advocacy  of  one  of  the  most  accom- 
plished and  influential  of  the  Trustees,  Mr.  W.  R. 
Hamilton ;  and  the  indisposition  of  Mr.  Forshall 
soon  rendered  it  necessary,  as  well  as  expedient,  to- 
carry  it  into  effect.  From  that  hour  Panizzi  was  the- 
real  ruler  of  the  British  Museum. 


THE   BRITISH   MUSEUM  2G5 

It  may  be  remarked  that  the  Trustees  and  their 
officers  alike  appeared  in  a  much  more  advantageous 
lio-ht  than  before  the  Parliamentr.ry  Committee  of 
1835.  The  inquiries  of  that  Committee  had  borne 
fruit.  The  duties  of  the  officers  ^vere  understood  and 
discharged  in  a  far  more  liberal  spirit,  and  the  Board 
of  Trustees  had  profited  largely  from  the  disposition 
to  elect  its  members  out  of  regard  to  literary  and 
scientific  eminence  or  proved  administrative  ability 
rather  than  mere  rank. 

This  tendency,  happily  for  the  Museum,  has  gone 
on  increasing  to  the  present  day. 

We  may  now  proceed  to  treat  of  that  acquisition 
of  the  Grenville  Library  which  so  greatly  aff"ected  the 
fortunes  of  the  British  Museum,  and  for  which 
Panizzi  has  mainly  to  be  thanked.  For  this  a  new 
chaptei  seems  to  be  required. 


-He--€g:^.§3-<l»  h 


^ 

B 

i 

1 

.'Mm 

Ik^ 

1            1 

^p 

CHAPTER  IX 

3Ir.     Thomm     Greyivilh ;    Ii/'s   EfqwHt ;    Portrait     hy     Manzini ; 
Chartist  Demonstration;    Copyright  Act;  Mr.  Bohn. 


HE  ACQUISITION   OF    THE    GrENVILLE 

Library,  in  1847,  made  that  year  no- 
table for  the  British  Museum.  Be- 
fore describing  the  collection,  or  the 
circumstances  under  which  it  was 
bequeathed  to  the  Nation,  it  will  be  well  to  recall 
the  liberality  and  discriminating  judgment  of  the 
high-minded    donor,    who     brought   it     together    at 

so  great  a  cost ;  and,  therefore, 
we  append  a  short  notice  of 
the  Rt.  Hon.  Thomas  Grenville, 
the  nation's  benefactor,  who  was 
born  on  the  31st  of  December, 
1755,  and  entered  as  a  gentleman 
commoner  at  Christ  Church  be- 
fore he  was  sixteen  years  old.  On 
the  10th  of  May,  1778,  he  joined 
the  army  as  an  ensign  in  the  Cold- 
stream Guards,  but  resigned  in 

the    following  year.     His  reasons  for  having  taken 


MR.    GRENVILLE  267 

such  a  step  were  narrated  by  himself  in  Parlia- 
ment on  the  11th  of  April,  1780.  On  the  26th 
of  October,  1779,  he  was  returned  to  Parliament 
as  a  member  for  Buckinghamshire,  and  enrolled  him- 
self in  the  party  of  Fox,  who  in  1782  trusted  him  to 
arrange  the  terms  of  the  treaty  drawn  w])  for  the 
separation  of  Great  Britain  from  her^American  colo- 
nies. 

From  this  mission  Mr.  Grenville  was  suddenly  re- 
called, at  the  death  of  Lord  Rockingham ;  but  in 
1794  Earl  Spencer  sent  him  as  Minister  Extraordinary 
to  the  Court  of  Vienna.  Four  years  afterwards  he 
was  made  a  Privy  Councillor,  and  subsequently  was 
despatched  on  an  embassy  to  the  court  of  Berlin,  in 
order  to  induce  the  King  of  Prussia  to  co-operate 
with  Eniiland  against  the  continual  attacks  of  the 
French  Republic.  This  mission,  however,  proved  un- 
successful. 

In  1800,  he  was  appointed  to  a  sinecure  office,  that 
of  Chief  Justice  in  Eyre,  South  of  Trent,  Avhich  was 
w^orth  about  £2,000  per  annum.  Other  appoint- 
ments followed;  when,  in  1818,  he  retired  simul- 
taneously from  Parliament  and  from  public  life. 

To  describe  his  personal  appearance,  his  features 
were  fine  and  regular,  Avith  blue  eyes  shadowed  by 
large  eyebrows.  In  addition  to  quick  j)ercoption,  he 
possessed  a  marvellous  memory,  ever  ready  v*'ith  quo- 
tations from  his  favourite  authors. 

In  his  old  age  he  derived  great  pleasure  from  enter- 
taining a  few  intimate  friends  at  dinner,  and  spending 
the  after  hours  at  whist.  Amongst  those  wlio  fre- 
quented   his    house    on    such    occasions    were,  Lord 


268  THE    LIFE    OF   SIR   ANTHONY    PANIZZI 

Ellesmere,  Samuel  Eogers,  Hallara,  Lord  Macaulay, 
Mr.  Gladstone,  Panizzi,  and  Sydney  Smith,  who  with 
reverent  appreciation  remarked  to  Panizzi,  a  iwopos  of 
the  host's  dignity  and  cheerfulness,  There,  that  is 
the  man  from  ivhom  we  all  ought  to  learn  how  to 
grow  old. 

The  collection  of  this  superb  Library  cost  Mr. 
Grenville  much  labour,  and  nothing  could  be  more 
admirable  in  its  way  than  the  persistence  with  whicli 
he  followed  out  the  intentions  he  had  formed.  It  was 
a  pursuit,  indeed,  which  he  began  early  in  life. 

A  favourite  recollection  of  his,  which  he  was  apt 
to  quote,  was  that  while  in  the  Guards  there  bid 
against  him  at  a  sale  a  whole  bench  of  Bishops,  for 
some  scarce  edition  of  the  Bible  ;  this  was  his  first 
essay,  and  similar  success  attended  him  in  all  his 
subsequent  dealings.  At  his  death,  20,239  volumes 
were  counted,  all  in  admirable  condition  and  beauti- 
fully bound.  It  was  stated,  at  the  time,  that  the 
collection  cost  £51^,000. 

He  had  the  habit  of  writing  on  a  slip  of  paper, 
which  he  placed  on  the  fly-leaf  of  the  volume,  a  short 
sketch  of  how  and  when  it  was  acquired ;  this  was 
done  in  the  neatest  and  clearest  manner. 

Mr.  Grenville  did  not  collect  books  simply  for 
their  rarity  and  curiosity,  he  knew  well  the  worth  of 
those  he  purchased,  and  used  them  as  books  of  refer- 
ence, as  is  proved  by  the  notes  which  are  to  be  found 
in  his  own  handwriting,  even  stating  the  number  of 
times  he  himself  perused  them ;  for  instance,  in  the 
edition  of  Dean  Sherlock  on  Death,  he  wrote  : — 
Head  thirteen  times  in  184-6. 


MR.    GEENVILLE  26 &' 

The  acquaintance  between  Grenville  and  Panizzi 
probably  commenced  as  early  as  1830,  at  wliicb 
period,  it  will  be  remembered,  the  latter  was  engaged 
on  his  Bojardo  and  Ariosto. 

The  correspondence  which  passed  at  the  time 
of  the  dedication  of  the  "  Sonetti  e  Canzone  di 
Bojardo,"  has  been  fully  given,  and  the  documents- 
and  letters  which  follow  will  prove  how  much  Mr. 
Grenville  became  attached  to  his  Italian  friend,  and 
in  what  hio-h  estimation  he  held  him. 

The  following  "  Memorandum  "  written  by  Panizzi 
himself,  bearing  the  date  of  November  3,  1845,  is 
given  in  full : — 


a 


Yesterday  being  Sunday,  I  called,  as  I  generally 
do  on  such  days,  on  the  Right  Hon.  Thomas  Gren- 
ville, -who  has  had  an  attack  of  cold,  which  produced 
great  cough  and  difficulty  of  breathing,  somewhat 
alarming.  When  I  saw  him  last  he  was  better,  and 
■we  played  whist  till  nearly  eleven  o'clock.  This  was 
on  Friday  last,  the  31st  of  October. 

"  Yesterday  I  found  him  considerably  better — I 
may  say  well — reading  a  book  of  prayers,  as  he 
usually  does  on  Sundays.  It  was  about  three  o'clock, 
and  he  was  alone.  After  the  usual  inquiries  after  his 
health,  &c.,  &c.,  he  spoke  nearly  as  follows  : — 

"  '  I  am  glad,  Mr.  Panizzi,  that  we  are  alone,  as  I 
have  something  to  tell  you,  which  I  wish  to  be  con- 
sidered strictly  confidential,  and  that  you  will  not 
mention  to  anv  human  beincr  as  long:  as  I  live.  There 
is  nothing,  perhaps,  that  renders  secrecy  strictly 
necessary  in  what  I  am  going  to  say ;  but  it  is  as  well 
to  keep  it  to  ourselves,  as  it  concerns  nobody  but  me^ 


270  THE    LIFE    OF   SIR   ANTHONY    PANIZZI 

I  have  often  perceived  that  you  wished  to  know  what 
would  become  of  my  library  after  my  death,  and  I 
have  often  seen  also  that  you  wished  it  should  go  to  the 
British  Museum.  That  wish  is  very  natural  as  well 
as  very  creditable  to  you;  for,  treated  as  you  have 
been  by  the  Trustees,  had  you  been  a  less  zealous 
officer,  and  not  so  thoroughly  honest  a  man,  yon  would 
not  so  easily  have  forgiven  their  conduct  towards  you, 
and  felt  so  Avarm  an  interest  in  the  welfare  of  that 
Institution  as  you  have. 

"  I  have  admired  your  conduct  in  that  respect,  and 
been  extremely  pleased  by  it.  I  have  not  imitated 
you  for  years  I  confess.  The  minute  of  Avhich  I  gave 
you  the  copy  in  Mr.  Forshall's  handwriting,  and  which 
conveys  an  ample  and  deserved  acknowledgment  of 
^c  ur  good  services,  was  a  disgraceful  and  unjust  act 
towards  you,  and  insult  to  me.  They  reserved  for  me 
to  do  what  they  never  had  done  to  any  one  else,  and 
they  behaved  ill  to  you  to  vex  me,  I  believe  .  .  (as  I 
dissented,  he  added).  Well,  well,  may  be  they  or 
some  one  who  had  influence  on  them,  counselled  them 
to  punish  you.  I  felt  so  much  their  conduct  that,  as 
you  know,  I  left  the  room  when  I  saw  what  they 
were  bent  upon  doing,  and  never  went  again  to  their 
meetings,  and  I  felt  very  much  inclined  never  to  speak 
again  to  Lord  Farnborough,  who,  after  having  both 
in  private  to  me  and  at  a  Committee  agreed  with  the 
justice  of  doing  ^^•hat  the  Committee  suggested,  got 
up  at  the  general  meeting  which  he  and  Mr.  Forshall 
had  packed  to  move  the  rejection  of  the  Committee's 
report.  I  then  was  more  than  ever  determined  to 
leave  my  library  to  the  Duke  of  Buckingham,  to  be 


THE    GRENVILLE    LIBRAEY  271 

kept  at  Stowe  as  a  heirloom.  But  your  generous 
conduct  made  me  think  that  if  you,  who  had  been 
much  more  injured  than  I  was,  forgave  them,  I 
ought. 

"  I  knew,  moreover,  that  you  would  be  delighted 
to  have  my  books,  and  I  often  thought  that  the 
coming  into  your  hands  from  mine  was  the  very  best 
thing  that  could  happen  to  them,  as  well  as  the  most 
pleasing  to  me.  I  v/as  determined  partly  by  these 
considerations  to  alter  my  will,  and  still  more  so — or 
rather  much  more  so — by  another  circumstance. 

"You  know  that  I  have  enjoyed  for  a  long  series 
of  years  a  very  good  sinecure.  Although,  as  I  have 
sometimes  told  you,  my  cousin.  Lord  Glastonbury, 
left  me  a  large  fortune  and  made  me  rich,  yet  I  could 
not  have  formed  such  a  library  (which  I  think  cost 
me  nearer  £50,000  than  £40,000)  without  my  income 
from  the  sinecure.  I  have,  therefore,  determined  to 
bleach  my  conscience,  and  to  return  to  the  Nation 
what  I  got  from  it,  when  I  could  have  done  without 
— but  which  would  have  been  given  to  some  one  else 
if  I  had  given  it  up  myself — by  bequeathing  my 
library  to  the  British  Museum,  and  I  have  altered 
my  will  accordingly.  I  shall  direct  that  part  of  my 
will  to  be  printed,  that  my  motives  be  understood, 
and  that  no  one  should  think  that  I  take  the  library 
from  my  nephew  the  Duke,  to  whom  I  have  told 
that  I  have  left  it  to  him,  from  any  unkindness  or 
unfriendly  feeling,  which  I  certainly  have  not,  as  the 
rest  of  my  will  will  show.  I  could  not  in  my  AVill 
say  anything  about  you,  and  the  treatment  you  have 
received  from  those  you  have    served  and  serve  so 


n 


272  THE    LIFE    OF   SIR   ANTHONY    PANIZZI 

well  and  so  faithfully,  but  I  thought  it  a  proof  of  my 
great  friendship  for  you  to  inform  you  of  what  I  have 
done,  and  of  my  motives  for  so  doing.  But,  although 
I  cannot  say  anything  about  it,  the  public  and  the 
Trustees  must  be  well  aware  that  you  have  not  taken 
any  mean  or  unfair  advantage  of  my  great  regard  for 
you,  my  dear  friend,  to  turn  me  from  doing  what  I 
had  done.  I  hope  the  Trustees  will  be  more  just  to 
you  in  future  ;  indeed,  you  tell  me  they  are,  and  have 
been  lately,  and  am  glad  of  it.  I  thought  they  would 
not  change;  they  must  feel  they  haA^e  wronged  you, 
and  I  thought  they  would  never  like  you  in  conse- 
quence. Even  my  friend  the  Archbishop,  one  of  the 
very  best  and  most  amiable  men  living,  was  no  doubt 
influenced,  perhaps  unconsciously,  by  such  feelings 
when  he  made  objections  to  your  apj)ointment  to 
succeed  Mr.  Baber.  There  is  some  one  who  has 
great  influence  on  the  Archbishop,  who  is  no  friend 
of  yours.  Take  care,  I  know  it.  But  I  trust  now 
that  you  are  better  known  you  will  be  appreciated  as 
3'Ou  deserve. 

"  This  was  the  substance,  and,  as  far  as  I  recollect, 
these  were  the  very  words  of  the  communication 
which  was  delivered  uninterruptedly,  with  his  usual 
energy  and  clearness,  and  without  appearing  the  least 
fatigued,  or  being  stopped  by  coughing  or  anything 
else. 

"  I  made  the  best  acknowledgment  I  could  for  the 
honourable  proof  of  confidence  he  gave  me.  I  told 
him,  strongly  moved,  almost  to  tears,  that  I  hoped 
the  day  would  be  far  distant  when  the  British 
Museum  should  profit  by  his   munificent  gift ;  and 


THE    GEENVILLE    LIBRARY  273 

here  we  shook  hands  most  heartily  and  warmly,  and  I 
thanked  him  as  well  as  I  could  for  the  affectionate 
manner  in  which  he  had  spoken  of  me  and  of  my 
conduct. 

"  He  replied  it  was  only  justice.  Then  he  added 
that  he  left  the  whole  unfettered ;  that  he  thought 
we  should  have  many  duplicates  among  ours  of  his 
books,  but  that  he  thought  we  ought  to  have  them ; 
at  the  same  time,  he  said,  he  did  not  care  whether 
the  Trustees  sold  his  duplicates.  I  said  they  never 
did  it.  Very  well,  he  answered.  Then  he  went  on 
to  say  that  he  would  desire  his  executors  to  express 
a  wish  that  the  whole  of  his  books  should  be  kept 
together,  and  that  a  cataloo-ue  of  them  all  should  be 
published.  But,  he  said,  I  shall  not  add  these  as 
absolute  conditions,  only  as  my  v»ish. 

"  We  spoke  of  cataloguing,  of  how  the  books  could 
be  kept  together,  &c.,  which  I  said  could  and  should 
be  done,  as  was  done  for  Sir  J.  Banks,  Cracherode, 
"&c. ;  even  without  their  desiring  it.  But  the  Dutch 
Minister,  was  announced ;  we  began  to  speak  of  in- 
different things ;  and  presently  I  took  leave  and  left 
them  together  at  about  four  o'clock. 

"  A.  Panizzi." 

T]iis  document  bears  the  following  signature  and 
note  : — 

"  This  paper  was  received  by  me  from  Mr.  Panizzi, 
sealed  up,  on  the  3rd  of  November,  1845,  and  opened 
and  read  at  his  desire  by  me  on  the  18th  of  December, 
1846.  W.  R.  Hamilton." 

Mr.  Grenville  died  on  the  17th  of  December, 
184G  ;  therefore,   the  above    document  was  read  by 


274  THE    LIFE    OF   SIR   ANTHONY   PANIZZI 

Mr.  Hamilton  on  the  following  day.  The  "  codicil'* 
made  to  his  Will  is  dated  28th  of  October,  1845, 
exactly  a  week  before  the  incident  narrated  in  the 
above  memorandum. 

Space  does  not  allow  us  to  make  public  a  long  and 
minute  direction,  given  by  Panizzi  to  his  Assistant, 
Mr.  llye,  for  the  removal  of  this  Library  to  the 
British  Museum  ;  suffice  it,  therefore,  to  observe  that 
it  enters  into  all  the  details  respecting  the  handling 
and  removal  of  these  treasures  of  typography. 

The  books  now  having  safely  reached  the  Museum, 
Panizzi  made  the  following  official  report  respecting- 
them  : — 

"  Feb.  10,  1847. 

"  Mr.  Panizzi  has  the  honour  to  report  thiit  the 
removal  of  tlie  Library  bequeathed  to  the  Trustees 
by  the  Right  Hon.  T.  Grenville  has  been  accomplished 
in  five  days  without  any  injury  whatever  to  the  books, 
the  number  of  which,  counted  one  by  one,  and  with- 
out any  regard  to  the  number  of  works,  is  20,239. 

"About  five  hundred  of  them  are,  for  want  of  room 
on  the  shelves,  lying  on  the  floor  of  the  galleries  of 
the  room  into  which  the  books  have  been  removed 
from  Hamilton-place.  With  respect  to  their  preser- 
vation from  dust,  Mr.  Panizzi  begs  to  suggest  as  the 
most  economical,  as  well  as  most  expedient  arrange- 
ment, that,  for  the  present,  the  doors  of  the  presses 
be  lined,  or  rather  covered,  inside  with  green  calico, 
or  some  such  cheap  material. 

"  Mr.  Panizzi  begs  to  state  that  the  removal  of  the 
collection  has  been  effected  in  so  short  a  time  by  his 
keeping  at  work  the  persons  who  assisted  him  con- 


THE    GKE^'VILLE    LIBRARY  275 

siderably  after  Museum  time.  He  ho23es  that  the 
Trustees  Avill,  in  consequence,  approve  of  the  remu- 
neration and  gratuities  which  he  has  promised  to  the 
servants  of  Mr.  Grenville  who  assisted,  as  w^ell  as  to 
the  attendants  and  workmen  for  their  extra  time  and 
exertions,  as  detailed  in  the  accompanying  statement 
of  expenses,  which  he  begs  the  Trustees  will  order  to 
be  paid." 

In  vain  did  Panizzi  urge  the  Trustees  to  provide 
adequate  room  for  the  books  ;  many  of  them  lay  for 
nearly  two  years  on  the  floor  of  the  gallery,  where 
they  had  been  originally  placed,  exposed  to  the  dust, 
and  to  injury  in  various  forms.  Lord  Fortescue,  on 
one  occasion,  asked  to  see  his  uncle's  books,  and  was 
not  a  little  astonished  to  find  them  thus  uncovered 
and  unprotected. 

Much  later,  through  the  intervention  of  the  Duke 
of  Cambridge,  the  collection  was  arranged  as  it  now 
stands,  and  the  donor's  bust,  the  work  of  ConoUy, 
presented  by  Sir  David  Dundas,  was  removed  from 
the  Committee-room,  and  placed  in  its  present  posi- 
tion ;  this  was  accomplished  in  the  month  of  October, 
18-50. 

The  catalogue,  the  great  expectation  and  hope  of 
Mr.  Grenville,  now  demands  our  special  attention. 

A  report  was,  therefore,  sent  to  the  Trustees  : — 

"Februarv  11,  1847. 

"  When  Mr.  Grenville  was  pleased  to  inform  Mr. 
Panizzi  that  his  collection  would  become  the  property 
of  the  Trustees,  he  informed  him  also  of  his  wishes, 
which  he  would  express,  and  which  Mr.  Panizzi  took 
on  himself  to  say  would  be  undoubtedly  attended  to 
T 


276  THE    LIFE    OF    SIR   AXTIIOXY    PAXIZZI 

by  the  Trustees,  as  much  as  if  they  were  conditions 
attached  to  his  bequest — 

1st.  That  the  whole  of  his  collection  should  be 
kept  together  and  unbroken. 

2nd.  That  the  rcmaindor  of  his  catalogue  sliould 
be  printed. 

The  Trustees  arc  aware  that  there  are  two  volumes 
of  the  catalogue  printed.  It  was  compiled  by  Messrs. 
Payne  &  Foss,  who  have  the  manuscript  in  slips  of 
the  whole.  It  occurred  to  Mr.  Panizzi  that  the 
cheapest  and  shortest  way  of  carrying  the  second 
wish  of  Mr.  Grenville  into  execution  would  be  to 
purchase  the  manuscript  titles,  and  with  this  vicw 
Mr.  Panizzi  had  a  conversation  with  Mr.  Foss,  who, 
at  his  request,  has  made  the  proposal  specihed  in  the- 
accompanying  letter, 

Mr.  Panizzi  is  of  opinion  that  Mr.  Foss's  terms- 
ought  to  be  accepted,  in  which  case  the  unprinted 
part  of  Mr.  Grenville's  catalogue  might  be  sent  to< 
press  almost  immediately,  and  the  whole  completed 
in  an  uniform  manner. 

Mr.  Panizzi  thinks  that  it  is  very  desirable  to 
accept  this  proposal  for  the  sake  of  economy  and 
despatch.  If  the  Trustees  will  allow  him  to  treat 
with  Mr.  Foss  he  thinks  he,  perhaps,  might  obtain 
some  slight  modification  of  the  terms  now  suggested." 

Panizzi  showed  the  practical  affection  he  had  for 
his  friend  by  his  presentations  of  rare  and  expensive 
books  from  time  to  time ;  these  were  accompanied  by 
letters,  and  Mr.  Grenville  invariably  attached  them 
to  the  volume. 


THE    GKENVILLE    LIBKAFtY  277 

The  folloAving-  is  a  specimen : — 

"B.  M.,  May  2,  1845. 

"  My  dear  Sir, 

I  hope  you  will  do  me  the  lionour  of  placing^ 
in  your  library  a  Latin  poem,  by  one  Thomas  Prati,  printed 
at  Treviso  about  1475,  on  the  martyrdom  said  to  have  been 
suffered  in  that  year  by  one  ^irjioft  or  Symeon,  at  the 
hands  of  the  Jews  of  Trento.  The  event  seems  to  have 
created  a  great  sensation  at  the  time,  and  even  at  a  much 
later  period  its  truth  has  been  the  subject  of  learned  in- 
vestigations. 

It  may  be  true  that  a  boy  was  murdered  at  Trento  in  Marcli 
1475,  but  that  he  fell  a  sacrifice  to  the  Jews  hatred  of  our 
religion,  is  as  incredible  as  it  is  unproved.  So  late  as  about 
a  hundred  years  ago,  a  dissertation  was  inserted  in  the  48tli 
volume  of  Calagiero  Kaccolta  d'opuscoli,  page  409  (De  cultu 
Sancti  Simonis — the  martvr  has  been  canonized  and  his  life 
and  miracles  are  chronicled  in  the  Acta  Sanctorum  Pueri 
Tridentini  et  Martyris  apud  Ycnctos).  That  dissertation^ 
written  to  prove  tlie   truth  of  the  story,  seems  to  me  conclu- 


sive against  it. 


Several  poems  are  said  to  liave  been  written  on  this  sub- 
ject. One  of  them  in  Italian  stanzas,  utterly  worthless,  by 
one  Fra  Giovanni  Padovano,  was  printed  so  late  as  1690,  at 
Padua,  and  is  in  the  British  Museum.  FedcricI  (Tipografia 
Trevigiana,  p.  91)  mentions  four  tracts  printed  by  Celerio  in 
1480,  on  the  martyrdom  of  Simon,  but  none  written  by 
Prati.  He  moreover  mentions  two  (p.  52)  printed  by  Gherord 
de  Lj^sa,  one  of  which  would  seem  to  be  precisely  like  tliat 
which  I  now  offer  to  you,  if  we  were  to  judge  from  the  title 
only,  but  tlie  particulars  into  which  he  enters  show,  1st,  that 
Federici  never  saw  even  tlie  book  which  he  describes ;  2nd, 
that  whatever  that  book  be,  it  is  a  different  one  from 
this. 

As  you  possess  the  very  rare   edition  of  Dante,  published 
by  Tuppo  at  Naples,  in  the  colophon  of  which  Tnppo  alludes 
t2 


278  THE    LIFE   OF   SIR   ANTHONY    PANIZZI 

to  the  murder  of  Simon  "  non  sono  molti  anni,"  and  as  the 
fact  is  said  to  have  happened  in  1475,  according  to  all 
authorities,  it  may  be  of  some  interest  to  you  to  possess  an 
uncommonly  rare  book,  which  may  be  of  use  in  fixing  at 
about  1480  the  date  of  your  Dante,  the  very  year  when  Tuppo 
began  to  print  separately  from  Eeussinger. 

Yours,  &c,,  &c., 

A.  Panizzi." 

Immediately  after  Mr.  Grenville's  death,  a  portrait 
of  him  by  an  Italian  artist  (C.  Manzini,)  was  offered 
for  sale.  It  is  painted  on  ivory,  representing  him  at 
the  age  of  85,  wearing  a  close-bnttoned  black  coat, 
and  a  plain  white  neckcloth.  Panizzi  was  anxious 
that  this  work  of  art  should  not  fall  into  stranorc 
hands  ;  and  consequently,  together  with  other  friends 
of  the  venerable  book-collector,  started  a  raffle,  the 
tickets  being  sold  only  amongst  a  selected  few.  Samuel 
Rogers  was  named  as  one  of  them,  and  this  originated 
the  following  correspondence  : — 

"August  29th, 

St.  James's  Palace. 
"  My  dear  Mr.  Panizzi, 

AMien  I  recover  what  I  have  lost,  I  mean  to  sub- 
scribe to  everything  and  to  everybody.  But  now,  alas,  I  have 
nothing  to  spare — I  cannot  even  afford  to  give  you  a  mutton 
chop — and  having  poor  enougli  of  my  own  to  support,  I  can- 
not contribute  to  other  people's. 

I  shall  be  happy,  however,  to  contribute  my  mite  in  this 
instance,  though  not  to  raffle  for  the  portrait,  for  to  tell  you 
the  truth,  the  portrait  I  do  not  care  for ;  I  had  rather  trust  to 
my  recollections. 

Yours,  &c.,  &c., 

S.   PiOGERS.' 


PANIZZI    AND    PtOGEKS  270 

«  B.  M.,  Monday, 
"  My  dear  Sir, 

I  am  very  sorry  that  I  have  expressed  myself 
so  ill  in  the  note  which  I  took  the  liberty  of  addressing  to 
you  to  contribute  to  the  support  of  other  people's  poor,  you 
having,  as  you  say,  and  as  it  is  well  known,  poor  enough  of 
your  own  to  support.  I  never  would  have  taken  the  liberty 
of  writing  for  that  pm'pose  ;  and  whatever  mite  you  may 
contribute  to  any  charity,  it  must  be  from  the  impulse  of 
your  own  kind,  benevolent  heart,  and  not  at  my  request,  as 
I  should  never  presume  to  make  it. 

The  difhculty  in  asking  subscribers  for  the  raffle  of  the 
portrait,  was  not  as  to  who  was  to  be  left  out,  but  as  to  who  was 
to  be  preferred,  and  it  was  as  a  mark  of  respect  to  you  that 
Mr.  Graskell  and  myself  thought  you  entitled,  above  many 
others,  to  be  included  amongst  our  chosen  few.  I  was  too 
proud  to  leave  to  other  j  to  inform  you  of  our  scheme. 

Yours,  &c.,  A.  PiV]s:izzi." 
"  Thursday. 
"My  dear  Mr.  Panizzi, 

I  have  just  opened  your  letter,  when  I  am  starting  for 
the  railroad,  and  I  cannot  say  how  distressed  I  should  be  il 
you  could  conceive  for  an  instant  that  I  thought  you  had  acted 
otherwise  that  from  the  purest  and  noblest  motives. 

With  Mr.  Manzini  I  am  unacquainted,  but  most  happy 
should  I  be  to  render  any  service,  though,  perhaps,  it  may  be 
doubtful  whether,  in  a  common  case,  a  copy,  however  ex- 
quisite, is  so  valuable,  when  an  original  may  be  had  from 
liichmond  at  nearly  the  same  price. 

Yours,  &c.,  &c., 

S.  Rogers. 
p.  S. — Again,  though  in  haste,  I  must  say  how  unha{)py  I 
am  if  I  have  given  one  whose  friendship  I  so  highly  value  any 
uneasiness." 

This  miniature  is  now  in   the   National  Portrait 

Gallery. 


280  THE    LIFE    OP    SIR   ANTHONY    PANIZZI 

The  following  is  from   Panizzi  to  Lord  llutlierfurd 
respecting  liis  friend's  death  : — 

"22nd  December,  1847. 

"  You  will  have  seen  Ly  the  newspapers  that  poor  Mr. 
Grenville  is  no  more,  he  had  no  reason  to  complain  on  leaving 
this  world,  after  so  long  and  happy  a  life,  which  he  had  enjoyed 
within  ten  years  of  his  death,  and  from  which  he  departed 
before  either  bodily  or  mental  infirmities  had  rendered  it  a 
bm-den  to  him  ;  but,  I  who  have  lost  one  of  the  best  friends  I 
have  had,  whose  kindness  was  imiform  as  it  was  excessive,  I 
have  certainly  good  reason  for  sorrow.  A  man  alone  in  the 
world,  a  foreigner,  without  any  other  ties  of  affection  or  blood, 
concentrates  all  his  feelings  in  his  friends,  and  to  lose  one  of 
them  is  a  greater  loss  to  him  than  it  is  to  others,  whose  heart 
is  fdled  by  other  objects." 

The  circumstances  of  the  gift  of  Mr.  Grenville  to 
the  Museum  having  been  fully  considered,  brief  allu- 
sion has  here  to  be  made  to  that  Avhich  threatened  to 
become  magnified  into  a  national  commotion,  imperil- 
ling the  safety  of  our  Public  Institutions,  and  fore- 
most amongst  their  number,  the  British  Museum. 
The  year  1848  was  memorable  for  the  Chartist 
demonstration.  The  principles  and  intentions  of  the 
agitators  are  well  known;  however,  on  the  10th  of 
April  they  proposed  to  liold  a  meeting  of  200,000 
men,  who  were  to  assemble  at  Kennington  Common, 
and  to  march  thence  in  procession  to  Westminster, 
and  present  a  petition  to  Parliament.  The  Bank  and 
other  Public  Institutions  were  occupied  by  the  Mili- 
tary, organized  by  the  Duke  of  Wellington  ;  these 
were  strengthened  by  no  less  than  150,000  persons  of 
all  ranks,  voluntarily  sworn  to  act  as  special  con- 
stables, and  amongst  the  number  Panizzi  was  enlisted 
on  the  8th  of  Apiil. 


THE    CHARTISTS  281 

The  British  Museum  seems  to  have  been  one  of  the 
places  in  danger  of  being  attacked  by  the  mob  ;  it 
was,  therefore,  considered  prudent  to  take  prompt 
Jind  decisive  measures  to  protect  it  from  any  possible 
■jissnult.  Tliougli  Sir  Henry  Ellis  was  the  chief 
officer  of  the  Museum  at  the  time,  Panizzi  may  be 
said  to  have  taken  the  part  of  the  real  General,  and 
was  most  active  in  swearing  in  his  subordinates, 
some  of  whom  had  Chartist  tendencies  themselves,  as, 
possibly,  he  had  himself;  but  the  safety  of  the 
Museum  was  paramount  to  all  other  consideraLions, 
and,  to  an  objector,  he  replied,  WJiat !  not  defend 
tlie i^lace  from  icliich  you  get  your  living ! ! 

Mr.  Cowtan  in  his  ''  Memories  of  the  British 
Museum,"  tells  us  "  that  all  persons  employed  upon 
the  establishment,  either  in  the  various  departments, 
or  as  artizans  at  work  upon  the  building,  were  sworn 
in  as  '  special  constables,'  making  in  all  250.  Major 
Baron,  of  the  Royal  Engineers,  was  sent  to  suggest 
the  best  means  of  barricading,  and  to  place  the  force 
at  hand  in  the  best  positions  for  defending  the 
Museum,  in  case  of  an  attack.  The  military  force 
consisted  of  fifty-seven  rank  and  file,  and  two  officers. 
To  this  must  be  added  twenty  pensioners  from  Chelsea 
College.  Fifty  muskets,  with  proportionate  ammuni- 
tion were  supplied,  as  well  as  cutlasses,  and  pikes  for 
from  two  to  three  hundred  persons.  Provisions  for 
three  days  were  laid  in,  &c.,  &c." 

Scouts  were  sent  out  to  bring  authentic  accounts, 
but  the  same  "  Memories  "  also  inform  us  that  "  one  or 
tAvo,  who,  before  the  event  took  place,  were  loud  in 
their   protestations    of    devotedness  to  the  Museum, 


282  THE    LIFE    OF   SIFi   AXTIIONY    TANIZZI 

and  willingness  to  lay  down  their  lives  in  its   defence, 
began  to  funk  and  to  looJc  unutteraUe  things'' 

The  foUowmg  letter  to  Sir  H.  Ellis,  referring  to 
this  subject,  is  well  worthy  of  perusal : — 

"British  Museum,  Friday  night,  April  7th,  184S. 

"  My  dear  Sir, 

I  beg  to  enclose  four  lists  of  as  many  parties  in  my 
department,  consisting  of  eleven  persons  each,  ready  to  be 
sworn  as  special  constables.  The  name  at  the  head  of  each 
party  Is  that  of  the  gentleman  who  will  act  as  leader  or  fore- 
man to  it.  Any  order  which  you  will  transmit  to  me  for 
them  shall  be  attended  to.  At  the  same  time  allow  me  to 
say  that  if  anything  very  serious  were  to  happen,  we  are  not 
prepared  for  It.  To  be  prepared,  for  an  attack  in  earnest, 
should  not  the  Museum  be  made  a  depot  for  troops  ;  the 
usual  military  guard  ought  to  be  at  least  doubled.  Sup- 
posing the  Eiot  Act  read,  and  extreme  measures  unavoidable, 
the  Museum  can  be  well  defended  by  a  well-directed  fire  of 
musketry  from  the  roof,  which  commands  not  only  every 
side  of  the  building,  but  every  approach  to  it,  as  well  as 
some  most  important  points  of  the  interior.  I  took  Mr. 
Hawkins  over  it  this  morning  on  purpose  to  show  him  this 
I  should  regret  as  much  as  any  one  that  such  mode  of  de- 
fence should  ever  be  forced  upon  us,  but  a  danger  is  better 
avoided  by  the  determination  and  readiness  to  meet  it  with 
proper  energy.  The  measures  taken  by  the  G-overnment 
show  that  they  do  not  think  lightly  of  the  state  of  affairs  ; 
and  always  hoping  for  the  best,  as  prudent  men,  we  ought  to 
be  ready  for  the  worst.  Permit  me  to  suggest  also  for  your 
consideration  that 

1  St.  The  gate  by  ]\Ir.  Konlg's  house,  on  the  west  side  of 
the  officer's  houses,  as  well  as  another  gate,  higher  up,  on  the 
same  road,  ought  to  be  strengthened.  The  same  ought  to  be 
done  with  those  on  the  roads  to  the  north  and  east,  right  and 
left  of   the  reading-room   entrance.     The   iron    gate  also  to 


THE    CHARTISTS  283 

Montagu  Place  ought  to  be  strengthened,  locked,  and  the  key 
kept  by  you;  nor  ought  the  opening  under  the  new  passage, 
from  your  house  to  the  Library,  to  be  left  unprotected. 

2nd.  All  the  doors  in  the  basement,  particularly  those 
opening  on  the  3'ards  and  roads  outside  tlic  building,  ouglit 
to  be  kept  locked,  and  none  opened,  under  any  pretence,  with- 
out an  officer's  order. 

3rd.  The  two  clerks  of  the  works,  the  enginemcn,  and 
the  house  carpenter,  should  be  at  hand  throughout  the  day, 
and  have  the  lire-engines  ready  for  use  at  a  moment's  notice. 
It  would  be  as  v.-cll  to  have  a  couple  of  men  from  Mr.  Merry- 
Aveather's  with  them. 

4th.  More  police  lanthorns,  a  dozen  at  least  to  be  pro- 
vided, in  case  they  might  be  required  at  night. 

5th.  No  officer,  attendant,  or  servant  whatever,  to  leave 
the  Museum  on  Monday,  except  with  your  special  leave. 

Yours,  &c.,  A.  Pamzzi." 

**  P.S. — There  are  men  In  the  house  ready  and  able  to  use 
firearjns  (if  provided  with  them)  should  it  be  absolutely  ne- 
cessary. We  ought  to  provide  them  ;  as  to  the  absolute  ne- 
cessity of  actually  using  them,  it  must  depend  on  circum- 
stances." 

On  the  15th  of  April,  the  Trustees  held  a  meeting, 
and  "  acknowledged  thankfully  the  human  means 
which  have  been  employed  in  their  service,  in  the 
maintenance  of  the  safety  of  the  British  Museum  in 
their  charge,  and  to  record,  accordingly,  their  grateful 
conviction  of  the  intelligence,  energy,  zeal,  and 
union,  which  have  been  displayed  by  their  Principal 
Librarian,  by  the  heads  of  departments,,  and  by  the 
gentlemen  engaged  under  them." 

Thus  happily  passed  off  what  appeared  to  be  at  one 
time  a  threatening  position  for  the  British  Museum  ; 
and  it  is  a  subject  of  hearty  congratulation   tliat  the 


284  THE    LIFE    OF   SIR    ANTIIOXY    PANIZZI 

would-be  disturbers  of  the  public  peace  were  faint- 
hearted and  disorganized,  or  serious  results  might 
have  ensued,  fraught  with  danger  to  human  life,  and 
destruction  to  public  buildings  and  their  contents. 
Had  the  Museum  been  really  attacked,  who  can  reckon 
the  loss  to  the  Nation  1  No  doubt  the  energetic 
precautions  taken  had  much  to  do  with  smothering 
the  fire  which  appeared  at  one  time  likely  to 
kindle  ;  and  for  this  there  is  much  reason  for  us,  of 
the  present  day,  to  be  thankful  to  those,  who  were 
instrumental  in  protecting  our  National  Institution. 

Again  our  ground  must  be  shifted ;  from  threaten- 
ing without,  turn  we  now  to  tumults  within,  viz.,  in 
the  literary  world  ;  it  is  our  province  to  discuss  a 
matter — then,  as  now,  unsettled,  and,  considering  the 
arguments,  ^ro  and  C'07i,  adduced  on  its  behalf,  most 
difficult  of  decision.  Our  subject  is  the  Copyright 
Act, — with  which  of  course,  in  his  sphere,  as 
custodian  of  our  National  gathering  of  the  work  of  all 
nations  and  all  epochs,  Panizzi  was  called  upon  to 
have  intimate  acquaintance,  as  well  as  dealings,  not 
always  plesant  or  exhilarating.  But — not  to  antici- 
2:)ate — we  proceed  to  give  a  slight  sketch  of  the 
objects  and  workings  of  this  Act,  as  then  in  force, 
the  manner  in  \\hich  it  affected  the  custodian,  and 
the  code  of  strict  integrity,  regardless  of  consequence, 
which  he  always  followed. 

From  the  days  of  Tudor  rule  to  the  present  time, 
the  Copyright  Act  has  periodically  received  the  con- 
sideration of  Parliament ;  literary  men  regard  as  an 
inalienable  right  of  property  products  of  their  brain. 
In  so  thinking  it  would  certainly  apjiear  prima  facie 


THE    COPYRIGHT    ACT  285 

that  their  assumption  is  correct,  but  a  little  sound 
reasoning  will  prove  how  capable  of  modification  are 
ideas  hastily  formed  on  this  important  subject.  This 
subject  is  now  about  to  be  briefly  introduced  to  our 
readers,  not  only  as  especially  suitable  to  this  bio- 
graphy, but  as  of  vital  interest  to  all  who  are 
members  of  the  great  society  of  letters,  and  especially 
referring  to  Panizzi,  on  whom  devolved  the  arduous 
task  of  enforcing  the  powers  confe>v'ed  on  him  by 
the  Act,  for  the  bene  lit  of  the  British  Nation  and  the 
world  at  large. 

It  is  out  of  the  question  to  enter  into  minute 
details  of  the  working  of  this  Act  from  its  origin 
until  now,  for  there  would  be  no  difficulty  in  lilling 
a  volume  were  particulars  to  be  fully  rendered. 
Suffice  it  to  say  that  the  first  obligation  to  give 
■copies  of  a  Mork  to  any  one  was  imposed  by  14 
Car.  II.,  c.  33,  s.  IG,  by  which  it  was  enacted, 
"  That  every  printer  shall  reserve  three  printed 
•copies,  on  the  best  and  largest  paper,  of  every  book 
new  printed  or  reprinted  by  him  with  additions,  and 
shall,  before  any  public  venting  of  the  said  book, 
bring  them  to  the  Master  of  the  Company  of  Sta- 
tioners, and  deliver  them  to  him,  one  whereof 
shall  be  delivered  to  the  Keeper  of  His  Majesty's 
Library,  and  th(^  other  two  to  be  sent  to  the  Vice- 
Chancellors  of  the  two  Universities  respectively  for 
the  use  of  the  public  libraries  of  the  said  Universi- 
ties." 

The  Statute  underwent  additions  and  modifications 
from  this  time,  being  at  some  periods  allowed  to 
expire  altogether,  as  it  did  on  the  25th  of  April,  jOOi. 


28 G  THE    LIFE    OF    SIR    ANTHONY    FANIZZ! 

Jjut,  literary  property  being  openly  and  frequently 
pirated,  a  remedy  was  urged  upon  the  Legislature  as 
necessary  in  the  years  1703,  1706,  and  1709.  A  bill 
was  introduced  by  Mr.  Wortley,  and  finally  passed  in 
the  latter  year.  It  is  the  8  Anne,  c.  21;  the  fifth 
section  of  it  enacting  "  That  nine  copies  of  each  book 
or  books'  ..."  shall  be  delivered  to  the  ware- 
house-keeper of  the  Company  of  Stationers  for  the 
time  being,"  ..."  for  the  use  of  the  Eoyal 
Library,  the  Libraries  of  the  Universities  of  Oxford 
and  Cambridge,  the  Libraries  of  the  four  Universities 
of  Scotland,  the  Library  of  Sion  College  in  London, 
and  the  Library  commonly  called  the  Library  be- 
longing to  the  Faculty  of  Advocates  at  Edinburgh 
respectively." 

To  evade  this  Act,  publishers  entered  only  the 
title  of  a  part,  or  a  volume  of  any  work,  as  it  was 
generally  understood  that  the  claims  could  be  enforced 
only  as  to  the  part  or  volume  entered,  and  that  nine 
copies  of  no  other  volume  or  part  could  be  claimed ; 
and  so,  as  the  Act  was  practically  eluded,  enactment  fol- 
lowed enactment,  until  the  5  and  6  Victoria,  c.  45,  made 
a  very  definite  provision  on  the  subject ;  not  only 
ordering  the  delivery  at  the  British  Museum  of  all 
books,  but  particularizing  the  meaning  of  the  word 
book :  "  That  in  the  construction  of  this  Act,  the 
word  BooJv  shall  be  construed  to  mean  and  include 
every  volume,  part  or  division  of  a  volume,  pamphlet,, 
sheet  of  letter-press,  sheet  of  music,  map,  chart,  or 
plan  separately  published,"  a  penalty  of  £5.,  besides 
the  value  of  the  copy,  being  the  fine  for  non-com- 
pliance. 


THE    COPYRIGHT   ACT  287 

111  May,  1850,  the  Trustees  conferred  on  Panizzi, 
by  power  of  attorney,  the  unthankful  duty  of  enfor- 
cing, in  their  name,  the  provisions  of  the  Copyright 
Act.  With  his  accustomed  energy,  with  a  firm  sense  of 
duty,  and  with  a  zeal,  in  some  instances  almost  amount- 
ins-  to  harshness,  did  he  face  the  difficulties  of  the 
situation.  Were  it  simply  to  record  the  success 
which  attended  his  devotion  to  the  interests  of  the 
Institution  he  served  so  faithfully,  we  should  have  to 
quote  his  own  words .  "  The  Trustees  testified  to 
their  sense  of  the  value  of  my  services  in  this  matter 
by  awarding  me  £100  a  year;  "  but,  as  must  be  ad- 
mitted on  the  testimonv  of  documents  now  before  us,  in 
his  own  handwriting,  his  zeal  was  rather  excessive ; 
his  battles  with  the  publishers  brought  him  odium, 
and,  at  times,  even  personal  vituperation,  although  he 
himself  undoubtedly  intended  to  act  with  forbear- 
ance, and  with  that  courtesy  wdiich  was  one  of  his 
chief  characteristics.  Did  it  ever  occur  to  Panizzi 
that  the  noblest  literature,  that  of  Greece  and  Rome, 
knew  no  such  law?  that,  even  supposing  it  might  be 
necessary,  in  the  nascent  state  of  literature  in  the 
sixteenth  century,  this  more  than  protection  may  be 
most  injurious  in  more  modern  times,  exactly  as  the 
state  protection  of  a  given  manufacture  might  pri- 
marily be  good,  but,  for  a  permanency,  would  be 
unsound  policy? 

On  April  20th,  1852,  Panizzi  wrote  :— 

"  Mr.  Panizzi  cannot  help  feeling  that,  in  deference  to  the 
wish  of  the  Trustees,  he  has  proceeded  with  too  much  leni- 
ency in  the  enforcement  of  the  Act.  Ecspectablc  publishers, 
who  cheerfully  and  punchially  comply  with  its  provisions,  as 


288  THE    LIFE    OF   SIR   ANTHO^'Y    PANIZZI 

well  as  the  readers  who  are  disappointed  in  not  finding  Eng- 
lish publications  in  this  library,  seem  to  have  a  riglit  m  more 
severe  measures,  not  only  towards  refractory  publishers 
within  the  bills  of  mortality,  but  against  those  living  in  the 
country  against  whom  INIr.  Panizzi  will  at  last  be  forced  to 
employ  the  means  wliich  were  some  time  ago  approved  of 
by  the  Trustees  for  securing  their  right  to  books  published 
out  of  London." 

These  words  as  tliey  stand  clearly  show  the  real 
state  of  Panizzi's  inward  determination  to  persevere  in 
his  object ;  and  on  the  14th  of  August,  1852,  we  find 
a  letter  from  the  Principal  Librarian,  approving  of 
the  steps  he  had  "  taken  for  the  enforcement  of 
the  Copyright  Act  in  Scotland,"  on  the  part  of  the 
Trustees. 

In  the  same  year,  a  certain  Mr.  Davis,  of  Shelton,. 
forwarded  a  prospectus  of  a  work  entitled  "  Crania 
Britannica,"  with  a  request  that,  as  the  book  was  to 
be  "  privately  printed,"  the  Keeper  of  the  Printed 
Books  should  subscribe  for  a  copy  of  the  work. 
Panizzi  submitted  the  prospectus  to  the  Trustees,  who 
declined  the  purchase,  whereupon  Panizzi  communi- 
cated this  decision  to  Mr.  Davis,  and  added  : — "  In 
my  opinion  you  are  bound  to  send  a  copy  of  that 
work  to  this  Library  in  compliance  with  tlic  Copy- 
right Act  (5  and  6  Vic,  cap.  45). 

In  September,  1852,  in  company  with  Mr.  Henry 
Stevens,  the  American  book  agent,  Panizzi  visited 
Oxford,  Dublin,  and  Cork,  and  rendered  signal  ser- 
vice to  the  Library  by  his  imsparing  exertions  to  de- 
tect defaulters,  and  uphold  the  interests  of  the 
Museum.  Amomjst  his  remarks  when  in  Dublin  was 
one  that  he  "  saw   a  number  of  important  new  works 


THE    COPYRIGHT    ACT  289 

exposed  for  sale  of  which  he  did  not  know  the  exist- 
ence, and  even  in  the  case  of  publications  of  no  great 
general  importance,  he  noticed  many  which  ought  to 
be  in  the  National  Collection."  Innumerable  difficul- 
ties met  him  in  his  task.  At  Derby,  "  There  arc,'' 
he  says,  "  many  works  published,  but  the  two  prin- 
cipal publishers  having  a  house  in  London,  it  is  this 
house  which,  should  it  be  necessary,  will  be  held 
resj)onsible  for  the  infringement  of  the  Copyright 
Act."  Of  course,  his  presence  was  in  all  places  which 
he  visited  attended  with  dislike  ;  and  it  seems  hardly 
fair  that,  whilst  acting  from  the  purest  motives  in 
the  public  service,  any  obloquy  of  a  personal  nature 
should  have  attached  to  him  ;  yet,  to  say  the  least, 
had  not  a  sense  of  duty  sustained  him,  his  would  liavc 
been  a  most  thankless  errand. 

Any  attempt  at  times  to  preserve  an  incognito  was 
unavailing — a  rather  undesirable  fact  which  he  soon 
discovered,  as  his  person  was  well  known.  However, 
on  the  9th  of  October,  1852,  a  report  from  Panizzi 
was  read  at  a  committee,  when  the  thanks  of  the 
Trustees  were  accorded  to  himx  for  his  exertions. 

Many  special  cases  of  the  actions  which  Panizzi 
brought  against  publishers  are  worth  recounting,  but 
as  their  details  are  necessarily  very  similar,  and,  as  to 
the  general  reader  such  repetitions  woukl  not  be  of 
any  interest,  the  biographer  contents  himself  with 
making  special  allusion  to  the  most  troublesome 
opponent  who  ever  entered  the  lists  against  Panizzi, 
this  was  Mr.  Bohn,  the  publisher,  and  bitter  Avere 
the  denunciations  hurled  at  Panizzi's  devoted  head  in 
the    course    of    the    hearing    of    seventeen    distinct 


290  THE    LIFE    OF    SIR    AMTIIONY    PANIZZI 

summonses  before  Mr.  Jardinc,  the  Magistrate,  by 
Mr.  Ballanline,  the  counsel  for  Mr.  Bohn.  Harsh, 
vexatious,  tyrannical,  were  a  few  of  the  ad- 
jectives which  dropped  from  the  lips  of  that 
learned  gentleman.  Mr.  Bodkin  appeared  for  the 
British  IMuseum  Authorities,  and  finally,  Mr.  Jardine, 
with  encomiums  on  the  personal  worth  of  both  the 
disputants,  considered  nominal  penalties  with  costs 
sufficient  to  meet  the  exigencies  of  the  case. 

On  the  2nd  of  February,  1853,  appeared  in  The 
Times  a  letter  from  Panizzi,  to  which  our  readers  are 
referred,  but  which  is  too  lengthy  to  give  verhatim 
here.  In  this  letter  he  says  : — "  I  knew  that  the 
Act  had  been  extensively  evaded,  and  I  felt  that  I 
ought  to  endeavour  to  enforce  it  better,"  and  again, 
"  I  determined  to  proceed  with  as  much  forbearance 
as  I  should  find  consistent  with  a  due  performance  of 
my  duty."  He  then  refers  to  the  fact  that  "  pub- 
lishers are  bound  to  send  their  publications  to  the 
Museum  without  receiving  previous  notice  of  their 
omissions  of  so  doing,"  and  addresses  the  warning  in 
the  shape  of  a  circular  prepared  by  the  Solicitors  of 
the  Trustees  as  a  proof  of  their  courtesy  to  those  who 
considered  themselves  hardly  dealt  with.  If  pub- 
lishers refused  to  comply  with  the  law,  what  alterna- 
tive had  Panizzi  but  to  enforce  compliance  ?  Was  he 
to  purchase  the  books,  or  how  was  he  to  procure 
them^  Pic  states,  and  states  justly  too,  "  I  have  no 
right  to  spend  public  money  in  encouraging  non- 
compliance with  the  law All  I  get  is 

blame.      If  the  books  are  not  in  the  Library,  I  am 
found  fault  with,  and  I  am  found  fault  with  if  I  use 


THE    COPYKIGHT   ACT  291 

the  only  means  I  now  have  of  procuring  them," 
Then  he  cites  the  increase  in  the  delivery  of  books^ 
i&c,  13,  934,  *  in  1852,  against  9,  871  in  1851, 
which  certainly  shows  that  his  labours  were  not  only 
necessary,  but  by  no  means  bare  of  practical  results. 

In  The  Times  of  the  same  date  (February  2,  1853,) 
appeared  a  leading  article  extolling  the  way  in  which 
Panizzi  did  his  duty  as  a  public  servant ;  it  notes  the 
peculiarity  of  the  absence  of  Mr.  Bohn's  name  in 
this  long  letter,  although  Panizzi  must  have  had  him 
in  his  mind  at  the  time  he  was  writing ;  it  deplores  the 
"  ill-considered  expressions  "  by  which  these  gentle- 
men appear  to  irritate  one  another,  and  winds  up 
with  these  words  : — "  It  is  a  lamentable  thing  to  see 
two  such  men  engaged  in  so  petty  and  so  discredit- 
able a  warfare,  the  simple  result  of  which  will  be  to 
damage  both  combatants  in  the  opinion  of  all  sober 
and  moderate  men."  ^Mth  this  remark  many  will, 
doubtless,  agree,  yet  Panizzi's  exceptional  position  as 
a  champion,  it  may  be  said  almost  of  the  whole  world 
(for  the  whole  world  has  access  to  this  store  of 
knowledge),  must  not  be  forgotten.  lie  him- 
self appears  to  have  considered  Mr.  Jardine  as 
biassed  in  his  views,  for  he  stigmatized  the  Act  as 
strong,  and  its  enactments  harsh;  but  in  whatever  light 
we  view  the  controversy,  it  Avould  seem  to  have  been 
carried  on  with  much  acerbity,  and  this  is  certainly 
to  be  regretted  in  the  case  of  two  such  antagonists. 

On  the  3rd  of  February,  1853,  Panizzi  wrote  to 
Mr.    Haywood,    alluding    to    the    ungrateful    return 

*  These  would  not  be  looks  proper;  in  fact,  no  more  than  a  fifth;  the 
rest  being  parts  of  worlss,  vutaic,  vwjjs,  dc.  The  number  of  hooha  for  1879 
being  only  about  8,000;  not  including  music,  maps,  &-c. 

U 


'J 92  THE    LIFE    OP    SIR   ANTHONY    PANIZZI. 

made  to  him  for  his  services.  Having  two  months 
before  this  seriously  thought  of  returning  his  power  of 
attorney,  when  he  was  induced  to  retain  it,  he 
says,  "  I  am  now  bound,  and  have  no  wish  to  perform 
that  duty,"  then  he  alhides  to  the  gratuity  of  £200 
given  to  Sir  Henry  Ellis,  and  continues,  "  To  me 
nothing  has  ever  been  given,  and  I  will  not  go  on," 
and  with  some  pardonable  self-laudation  adds,  "  They 
will  soon  see  the  difference  in  the  number  of  books 
which  they  Avill  receive,  between  my  fearless  and 
honest  conduct,  and  that  of  anybody  else  whom  they 
may  appoint." 

Further  correspondence  followed  in  The  Times — a 
letter  from  Panizzi  on  the  3rd  of  February,  1853,  and 
one  from  Mr.  Bohn  on  the  8th  of  the  same  month. 
These  letters  possess  no  special  interest ;  the  former 
being  Panizzi's  re-statement  of  his  case,  and  the  latter 
Mr.  Bohn's  rejoinder  to  the  fresh  insinuations,  and  his 
own  views  on  the  subject. 

On  the  24th  of  February,  1853,  Panizzi  wrote  to 
Sir  Henry  Ellis,  requesting  that,  Avhenever  the  sub- 
ject of  the  re- enforcement  of  the  Copyright  Act  was 
again  brought  before  the  Trustees,  he  would  "  respect- 
fully represent  to  them  his  strong  wish  of  being  ex- 
cused from  performing  a  duty  which,  in  conformity 
with  the  arrangement  of  1837,  under  which  he  holds 
office,  was  expressly  assigned  to  the  Secretary." 

The  great  remedy  for  getting  rid  of  all  difficulties, 
now-a-days,  seems  to  be  the  taking  up  by  Government 
of  important  schemes,  and  the  biographer  has  seen  it 
widely  suggested : — "  Let  Government  be  the  only 
publisher,    because   alone   having   perfect   means   of 


THE    COPYRIGHT   ACT  293 

publicity — publishing  for  all  alike  (at  their  own  ex- 
pense) and  giving  all  alike  an  equal  chance." 

The  Law  of  Copyright  is  about  to  come  again 
under  the  consideration  of  Parliament,  when,  we 
cannot  tell,  but  it  would  have  delighted  him  whose 
"  Memoirs  "  we  write  to  have  listened  to,  and  advised 
fresh  suggestions  on,  a  subject  with  which  he  was  so 
intimately  acquainted,  and  where  his  disinterested- 
ness (so  far  as  he  himself  was  concerned)  led  to  so 
much  mortification  and  such  undeserved  opprobrium. 


-i-^^-^'^^^^T- 


uU 


CHAPTER  X 

Lord    Vernon^ s  Dante ;    Sir  G.    Corneicall  Letcis   on    Milton    and 
Dante  ;     CM  era  Francesco  da  Bologna  ?    John  Harris. 


URING  1848,  Europe  was  greatly 
disturbed  by  internal  commotions, 
calculated  to  unsettle  thinking  men, 
and  more  especially  those  who 
took  an  active  interest  in  politics. 
It  is  a  matter  for  astonishment,  therefore,  that 
Panizzi,  whose  share  in  such  agitation  was  by  no 
means  inconsiderable,  should  have  found  time  and  in- 
clination to  devote  himself  to  literary  productions. 
Nevertheless,  indulging  in  the  aspirations  for  freedom 
which  were  then  moving  nations  he  yet  was 
able  to  dedicate  much  of  his  time  to  literature. 

Indeed,  it  is  almost  incredible  how  he  could,  with 
so  much  on  his  brain,  have  given  himself  up  to 
the  editing  of  Dante.  Of  the  great  Italian  poet 
so  much  might  be  written  that  it  would  be  but 
irrelevant  to  this  biography  to  leave  the  principal 
mover  in  it,  even  temporarily,  to  dilate  on  so 
exalted  a  subject.  We  must,  therefore,  merely  ob- 
serve that  Panizzi   was    deeply    impressed   with   the 


II 


Dante's  poems  295 

importance    of  Dante's   poetry,    which   excelled    all 

that  had  preceded  it,  and  was 
written  in  the  lingua  vidgare^ 
only  that  it  might  be  under- 
stood, by  the  people,  who  de- 
lighted in  its  inexhaustible 
treasures.  Five  centuries  have 
elajDsed  since  the  great  Floren- 
tine wrote  his  Divina  Com- 
media,  which  has  now  become 
the  property  and  admiration 
of  the  Avhole  civilized  world. 
The  editions  of  it  are  very  numerous,  but  it  is  with 
the  first  four  we  have  now  tc  deal. 

The  earliest  is  the  Edith  Princeps,  of  Foligno, 
by  Numeister,  bearing  date  1472.  In  the  same  year 
Avere  also  j)i'iiited  one  edition  at  Jesi,  by  Federico 
Veronese,  and  another  at  Mantua,  by  Gcrmanus, 
Giorgio  e  Paolo.  That  at  Naples  was  edited  by 
Giovanni  Francesco  del  Tuppo,  printed  by  Reuss- 
inger,  and  appeared  three  years  later. 

An  idea  of  the  value  and  importance  of  the  volume 
edited  by  Panizzi,  at  the  expense  of  Lord  Vernon 
(published  by  Messrs.  T.  and  W.  Boone,  and  printed 
by  Charles  Whittingham),  may  be  formed  by  the 
mere  fact  that  these  first  four  editions  are  here 
united  in  one,  which,  to  the  student,  must  prove  an 
invaluable  boon,  as  he  is  thus  enabled  to  perceive  at 
a  glance  the  variations  in  the  text. 

These  editions  can  only  be  found  altogether  at  the 
British  Museum,  thougli  separate  copies  exist  in 
other  libraries  also. 


296  THE    LIFE    OF   SIR   ANTHOJVfY   PAISIZZI 

In  the  year  1835,  Mr.  Grcnville  gave  the  sum  of 
£60  for  the  copy  printed  at  Naples,  and  in  1842 
he  purcliased  for  £1^2.  16s.  Od.  the  Mantua  edition, 
•which  two  copies  are  now  in  the  British  Museum, 
forming  part  of  his  munificent  bequest  to  the  Nation. 

From  Panizzi's  preface  we  learn  that  he  gave  £90 
to  Mr.  Asher,  of  Berlin,  for  the  Jesi  Dante,  in  wdiich 
six  pages  were  missing.  Fac-similes  were  made  by 
John  Harris,  from  a  copy  in  the  possession  of  Earl 
Spencer.  Later  on,  Mr.  Winter  Jones,  at  that 
time  Keeper  of  the  Printed  Books,  purchased  another 
incomplete  copy,  from  which  he  was  enabled  to  re- 
place four  more  x^^^S^s,  thus  rendering  it  all  but 
comjDlete. 

Two  copies  of  the  Foligno  Edition  are  to  be  found 
in  the  same  Library — the  most  favoured  possessor  in 
the  world  of  early  editions  of  Dante. 

Lord  Vernon  could  have  no  better  oj^portunity  of 
reprinting  them  in  London.  In  securing  the  as- 
sistance of  Panizzi,  whose  knowledge  and  precision 
were  of  the  utmost  importance,  he  was  most  fortun- 
ate. Moreover,  the  printing  of  the  book  in  ques- 
tion is  highly  creditable  to  British  typography. 
It  is  a  folio  of  800  pages,  with  a  preface  by  the 
Editor,  and  contains  fac-similes  ot  the  originals.  Lord 
Vernon,  being  a  corresponding  member,  dedicated  it 
to  the  Accademia  della  Crusca. 

The  preliminaries  for  this  work,  which  was  pub- 
lished in  1858,  were  entered  into  just  ten  years  before; 
and  a  memorandum  from  Lord  Vernon,  dated  October 
23,  1848,  is  extant,  in  which  he  makes  a  proposal  to 
Panizzi  that  the  sum   of  £50   should  be  paid  to  him 


DANTf:S    POEMS. 


297 


every  six  months,  until  the  completion  of  the  work — 
the  said  payment  to  terminate  in  four  years — the 
whole  sum  amounting  in  the  aggregate  to  £400. 

In  this  transaction  Mr.  Pickering  was  consulted. 

Panizzi  lost  no  time,  and  was  evidently  eager  to 
begin  a  task  so  congenial  to  his  taste  ;  for  barely  a 
week  afterwards  (to  quote  his  own  words)  he  wrote  to 
Lord  Vernon,  "  I  have  set  to  work  without  a  moment's 
delay,  putting  aside  every  other  unofficial  occupation.' 

The  question  relating  to  the  latter  part  of  the  fol- 
lowing letter  of  Lord  Vernon,  seems  to  have  arisen 
from  a  misunderstanding  as  to  the  use  of  the  word  Jus 
for  this  ;  and  will  be  best  explained  by  giving  his  Lord- 
ship's letter,  in  addition  to  Panizzi's  very  characteristic 

reply  : — 

"Florence,  21st  Nov.,  1848.. 
"  My  Dear  Sir, 

I  am  very  liajopy  to  find  that  ]Mr.  Pickering's 

proposal  has  met  with  your  approval,  as  it  did  witli  mine. 

As  for  myself,  I  can  only  con- 
gratulate myself  at  having  liad 
the  good  fortune  to  secure 
yoiu-  valuable  assistance  at  any 
price  within  my  means. 

Eespccting  the  correction 
of  the  press,  you  are  right  in 
supposing  that  it  was  intended 
to  apply  not  only  to  the  part 
Avhich  more  immediately  con- 
cerns yourself,  but  to  the  whole 
work.  If,  however,  you  think 
that  the  revision  of  my  part  of 
the  work  will  be  a  great  fatigue, 
and  take    up    too    much   of  your 

time,  I  am  willing  to  omit  this  from  the  conditions  above 


298  THE    LIFE   OF   SIR   ANTHONY    PANIZZI 

stated.  I  must,  however,  in  this  case,  beg  of  you  to  name 
your  own  terms,  in  case  it  suited  you  to  undertake  it,  or  else 
to  find  some  one  else  in  whose  capacity  and  judgment  you 
have  confidence,  and  who  will  have  some  discretion  in  his 
demands  upon  my  purse. 

Yours,  &c.,  &c., 

Vernon." 
"  B.  M.,  Nov.  30th,  1848. 

«  My  dear  Lord, 

In  thanking  you  for  your  kind  expressions  towards 
Eie,  I  beg  to  add  that  I  cannot  allow  you  to  incur  any  expense 
whatever  for  correcting  your  own  edition  of  the  Inferno. 
I  consider  it  part  of  my  duty,  according  to  the  terms  of  the 
memorandum  of  the  23rd  of  October,  as  explained  in  my 
Icttter  to  your  Lordship  on  the  31st  of  the  same  month,  to 
correct  the  press  of  that  Cantiea  ;  I  am  at  your  Lordship's 
orders,  and  ready  to  perform  that  duty  to  tlie  best  of  my 
;abilities. 

I  suppose  I  shall  hear  from  Mr.  Pickering  when  I  am 
wanted  in  that  respect.  With  reference  to  the  text  of  the 
iirst  four  editions,  twelve  cantos  of  the  first  (Foligno)  are 
prepared  for  collation  with  those  of  JNIantua,  Jesi,  and  Naples. 

By  midsummer  I  hope  the  greater  part,  if  not  the  whole 
of  the  first  part  of  the  poem,  will  be  thus  collated  and  ready 
for  press.  The  printing  will  proceed  slowly,  as  I  am  to  re- 
collate  the  whole  in  type. 

Yours,  &c.,  &c., 

A.  Panizzi." 

As  early  as  September,  1849,  there  was  already 
sufficient  material  for  going  to  press ;  but  though 
Panizzi  continually  wrote  to  his  Lordship  urging  the 
necessity  of  beginning  to  print,  a  year  elapsed  with- 
out any  communication  on  the  subject,  and  Avithout 
any  progress  with  the  work.  From  a  letter  in  the 
month  of  June,  1851,  Lord  Vernon  appears  to  have 


Dante's  poems  299 

•been  somewhat  discouraged ;  the  booksellers  not 
having  taken  up  the  matter  in  so  spirited  a  manner 
as  he  anticipated,  and  Panizzi  complaining,  not  with- 
out reason,  that  the  work  seems  to  have  come  almost 
to  a  stand  still,  consoled  himself  by  addressing  the 
following  letter  to  Mr.  E.  White,  his  Lordship's 
solicitor  : — 

"  British  Museum,  May  5th,  1852. 

**  Dear  Sir, 

It  is  not  for  me  to  suggest  to  his  Lordship  any  course  of 
proceeding;  as,  however,  I  am  not  totally  indifferent  with 
respect  to  the  determination  he  may  come  to,  I  hope  to  be 
forgiven  for  saying  a  very  few  words  on  the  subject. 

When  I  undertook  to  carry  out  Lord  Vernon's  wishes 
expressed  in  the  memorandum  handed  to  me  by  Mr.  Picker- 
ing, and  confirmed  by  his  Lordship's  subsequent  letters,  I  was 
not  only  moved  by  the  pecuniary  remuneration  which  Lord 
Vernon  was  pleased  to  propose  to  me,  I  looked  forward  to  the 
time  when  the  work  should  be  published,  from  which  I 
expected  some  credit.  I  cannot,  therefore,  feel  indifterent  to 
his  Lordship's  determination  as  to  publishing;  nor  can  I 
receive  without  some  slight  observation  the  sum  which  Lord 
Vernon  proposed  to  me  as  a  remuneration  for  a  certain  work, 
without  fulfilling  on  my  part  the  obligations  I  have  incurred. 
These  I  am  most  anxious  to  perform,  but  it  is  impossible  for 
me  to  do  so  if  Lord  Vernon  does  not  order  a  printer  to  print 
the  manuscript  which  I  have  not  failed  to  prepare  as  agree  1, 
and  in  a  manner  which  his  Lordship  had  fully  approved  of. 

I  am  not  less  desirous  to  perform  what  I  have  undertaken, 
than  I  am  of  receiving  the  remuneration  which  I  was  led  to 
expect  for  it;  and  it  would  be  very  painful  to  me  if  his  Lord- 
ship merely  performed  his  part  of  the  agreement  without 
•enabling  me  to  perform  mine. 

Yours.  &c.,  &c., 

A.  Panizzt." 


300  THE    LIFE    OP    SIR   ANTHONY    TANIZZI. 

Much  to  the  editor's  dehght,  however,  work  was^ 
resumed;  and  by  the  summer  of  1854  Mr.  Whittmg- 
ham  had  already  sent  in  a  bill  for  printing  the 
Inferno. 

Such  was  the  beauty  of  the  work  that  it  deeply 
impressed  Lord  Vernon's  sensitive  nature,  and  in  the 
following  year  he  desired  that  the  Purgatorio 
should  be  forthwith  proceeded  with,  but  as  the  first 
portion  approached  completion,  his  Lordship  became 
anxious  as  to  the  title  of  the  book  and  its  disposal,  as 
the  following  letter  clearly  testifies  : — ■ 

"Nov.  4,  1856, 

Hotel  Westminster, 

Eue  de  la  Paix,  Paris. 

"  Dear  Mr.  PanizzI, 

What  shall  we  call  tlie  union  of  four  elitionsin 
one?  I  cannot  think  of  a  word.  You  cannot  call  it  "  Tes- 
ceraglott,"  because  it  is  one  "glotte,"  or  language,  though  not 
quite  in  one  dialect.  If  I  remember  right,  there  is  in  Ugo 
Foscolo's  edition  rather  a  learned  disquisition  about  the  cause- 
of  the  diflerence  in  the  texts  of  the  early  editions,  viz.,  the 
dlflerence  in  the  dialect  of  the  early  copyists,  &c.,  &c.,  &c. 

I  wrs  thinking  of  derlicating  the  book  to  tlie  Criisca  (of 
which  I  am  a  most  unworthy  corresponding  member),  if  you 
see  no  objection  to  it.  What  plan  would  you  recommend  me 
to  pursue  for  the  publication  of  this  book,  and  of  my  own  edi- 
tion of  the  "  Inferno  ?"  Had  I  better  sell  it  to  some  book- 
seller for  a  certain  sum,  or  had  I  better  let  the  bookseller  sell 
it  on  my  account,  receiving  so  much  percent?  Or  had  I 
better  sell  it  by  auction,  or  had  I  better  give  it  all  away? 

What  bookseller  to  employ  I   know  not,  nor   whether  tO' 
publish  it  in  England,  France,  or  Italy. 

Then  as  to  price  (if  a  price  it  is  to  have).     What   might  it: 
be  ?     There   will   be  2  vols,  folio — viz.,  one  of  the  text  with 


Dante's  poems.  30i 

ray  paraphrastic  interpretation  (I  say  this  because  it  is  not 
exactly  a  paraphrase,  inasmuch  as  no  single  word  of  the 
original  is  omitted).  2nd.  A  volume  also  in  folio  of  illustrative 
matters ;  and  3rd,  1  vol.  folio,  the  album  Dantesco  with  ex- 
planatory notes. 

I  say  folio,  but  perhaps  it  is  royal  4to.,  I  do  not  know  how 
this  may  be,  but  they  will  all  be  tlio  same  size.  T  shall  be 
very  thankful  when  it  is  off  my  hands. 

If  I  had  health  I  should  do  the  "  Purgatorio."  The 
"  Paradiso  "  is  too  philosophical  and  metaphysical  and  theo- 
logical for  my  poor  simple  head.  It  is  a  pity,  however, 
that  the  other  two  Cantiche  should  not  be  done,  as  it  would 
add  considerably  to  the  value  of  the  book. 

There  is  another  way  of  publication — viz.,  subscription, 
but  I  do  not  much  like  tliis. 

Yours,  &c.,  c^c., 

Vernon." 

This  letter  was  followed  not  long  afterwards  by 
another,  in  which  Lord  Vernon  entered  into  details 
regarding  the  sale  and  profits  likely  to  accrue  from  it. 
He  was,  evidently,  still  undecided  as  to  the  title  of 
the  book,  and  urged  Panizzi  to  suggest  one. 

As  to  the  place  of  publication,  liis  Lordship,  with 
a  certain  amount  of  reason,  desired  that  it  should  bo 
in  London  ;  he  very  justly  observes  that : — "  Being 
done  at  the  expanse  of  an  Englishman,  printed  in 
England,  on  English  paper,  and  from  four  editions, 
which  are  found  together  only  in  the  Britisli  Museum, 
moreover,  being  tlie  homage  of  an  I^^nglishman.  to 
Italy's  greatest  poet,  to  her  literature,  and  to  her 
most  celebrated  x\cademies,  it  would  appear  with 
better  grace,  as  coming  from  London,  tlian  any 
Italian  city." 


502  THE    LIFE    OF    SIR  ANTHONY    PANIZZI 

By  March,  1858,  the  book  was  completed,  when 
Lord  Vernon  expressed  himself  thus :  "  I  hope  to 
hear  in  a  short  time  that,  like  the  Great  Leviathan, 
it  has  overcome  all  stops  and  hindrances,  and  been 
fairly  launched  in  the  stream  of  literature." 

Some  writers — and  amongst  them  the  subject  of 
our  memoir — have  looked  upon  Milton  as  an  occa- 
sional imitator  of  Dante.  A  propos  of  this  theory 
(which  may  best  be  studied  in  Professor  Masson's 
biography  of  the  great  Puritan  poet),  we  propose  to 
give,  at  some  length,  a  correspondence  on  the  subject 
between  Panizzi  and  Sir  G.  Cornewall  Lewis.     The 

letters  of  the  former  are  so  full 
of  sound  thought  and  such  fair 
specimens  of  his  literary  know- 
ledge,, that  we  append  them, 
together  with  Sir  G.  C.  Lewis's 
reply,  for  the  reader's  edifica- 
tion 

"Britisli  Museum, 

January  22,  1856. 

"  My  dear  Sir  Greorge, 

I  have  been  looking 
whether  my  memory  had  served 
me  right  as  to  Milton  having  occasionally  imitated  Dante, 
•which  I  mentioned  on  Sunday,  when  we  were  speaking 
of  Dante  being  or  not  being  known  in  England  before  the  last 
ccntviry.  I  have  found  several  passages  which  I  think  bear 
me  out ;  for  instance : — 

*  Non  ragioniam  di  lor,  ma  guarda,  e  passa.' 

*  Tlierefore  eternal  silence  be  their  doom.' — P.  L.  6,  385. 
But  I  don't  quote  more,  as  in  his  prose  works  (vol.  IV.,  p. 

11,  edit,  of  1753)  he  actually  quotes  as  his  authority  against 
Eome  Dante's  lines,  c.  19,  v.  115 — 


% 


MILTON   AND    DANTE  305 

*Alii  Costantin,  di  quanto,  mal  fu  matre,'  and  translates  them 

thus : — 

'  Ah,  Constantine  !  of  how  much  ill  was  cause 

Not  thy  conversion,  but  those  rich  demains 
That  the  first  wealthy  Pope  receiv'd  of  thee.' 
and  then  he,  moreover,  refers  to  the  twentieth  Canto  of  the- 
Paradiso. 

It  is  curious  to  see,  not  long  after  Milton — or,  perhaps,  at- 
the  same  time — Stillingfleet,  in  his  Origines  Sacraj  (Book  2nd, 
ch.  9,  sec.  19,  and  ch.  10,  sec.  5)  quote  Dante  as  an  authority  on 
the  truth  of  Christianity,  but  he  gives  the  verses  in  a  Latin 
translation  by  F.  S.     (I  have  not  looked  to  see  who  F.  S.  was.) 
Spenser,  too,  has  imitated  Dante,  I  think.       Tradubio,  who 
is  turned  into  a  tree  and  speaks,  of  Pier  dellc  Vigne. 
'  Uomini  fummo,  ed  or  siam  fatti  sterpi.' 
'But  once  a  man,  Tradubio,  now  a  tree.' 
Chaucer   has    often  imitated  Dante,  whom  he  calls  (Wife 
of  Bath's  Tale,  v.  6708,  in  Tyrwhitt's  edit.)  '  the  wise  poet  of 
Florence — that  highte  Dante,'  of  whom  he  translated  imme- 
diately after  the  lines: — 

'  Eade  volte  discende  per  li  rami,'  &c. 
'  Full  selde  up  riseth  by  his  branches  small,'  &c. ; 
and  in  the  IMonk's  Tale  the  whole  of  Ugolino's  Story  is  trans- 
lated, and  he  ends  by  referring  to 

'  The  grete  poete  of  Itaille — 

That  highte  Dante 'as  its  author. 

And  now  I  end  in  haste. 

Yours,  &c.,  &c., 

A.  Panizzi." 

"  Kent  House,  Jan.  25,  185G. 
"  Dear  Panizzi, 

The  imitation  of  Dante  in  Milton's  verse — 
'  Tliercfore  eternal  silence  be  their  doom  ' — seems  to  me  doubt- 
ful. The  quotation  of  the  celebrated  passage  '  Ahi  Costantin  ' 
does  not  prove  that  Milton  had  read  Dante — he  might  have 
found  this  anti-papal  citation  in  some  controversial  work. 


304  THE    LIFE    OF   SIR   ANTHONY    FANIZZI 

I  have  no  doubt  that  scattered  references  to  particular 
passages  and  particular  expressions  in  a  writer  so  sterling,  and 
once  too  well-known,  can  be  found  at  all  periods.  But  is  there 
any  evidence  that  Milton's  contemporaries  read  Dante,  and 
understood  and  admired  him,  and  were  influenced  by  his 
poetry  in  their  compositions  ? 

Yours,  &c.,  &c., 

a.  C.  Le^vis." 

"B.  M.,  Jan.  26,  1856. 
"  My  dear  Sir  George, 

Dante  says  : — • 
'  Fama  di  loro  il  mondo  esser  non  lassa  y 
Misericordia  c  Giustizia  o;li  sdeo-na. 
Non  ragioniam  di  lor,  ma  guarda,  c  passa.' 
And  Milton  : — 

•  Cancelled  from  Heaven  and  sacred  memory, 
Nameless  in  dark  oblivion  let  them  dwell ; 
•  ••••• 

Therefore  eternal  silence  be  their  doom.' 

—P.  L.,  6.  380-5. 
Take  the  whole,  and  it  seems  to  me  that  the  Eno-lish  is  in 
imitation  of  the  Italian.  But  great  poets,  when  they  imitate, 
they  do  so  making  the  images  their  own ;  they  don't  copy, 
but  they  abridge,  add,  and  alter  so  as  to  appeir  original,  and 
so  does  Milton.  I  find  that  he  once  translated  one  line 
Dante,  at  the  beginning  of  the  Paradiso,  c.  1,  v.  12,  says: 

'  Sara  ova  materia  del  mio  canto,' 
And  Milton,  P.  L.,  3.    413  :— 

'  Shall  Le  the  copious  matter  of  my  song? 
And  compare  also   what    he  says    of  tl.e  sun  in    that   book 
(v.  586),  with  the  very  first  lines  of  the  Canto  of  Dante. 
In  his  sonnet  to  Henry  Lawes,  Milton  says  : — 

'  Dante  shall  give  Fame  leave  to  set  thee  higher 
Than  his  Casella,  whom  he  woo'd  to  si  no-. 
Met  in  the  milder  shades  of  Purgatory.' 


MILTOX   AND    DANTE.  305 

Now  this  alludes  to  Purg.  c.  2,  v.  lOG,  and  '  the  milder  shades 
of  Purt^atoiy   when  compared  to  those  of  Hell,  seem  to  show 
that  Milton  had  read  both. 

Add  to  this  that  Milton  knew  Italian  thoroughly,  that  he  had 
passed  some  time  at  Florence,  where  Dante  was  never  forgotten, 
and  that  Gralileo,  and  still  more  Dati,  were  intimate  friends  of 
his.  Now,  Galileo  and  Dati  were  great  admirers  of  Dante,  and 
placed  him  in  the  highest  rank  of  poets. 

I  cannot,  therefore,  doubt  that  Milton  was  thoroughly  con- 
versant with  Dante's  poetry,  and  admired  him.  How  far  he 
was  influenced  by  his  poetry  in  his  compositions,  would  re- 
quire a  long  critical  essay  ;  the  more  difhcult  to  draw  up  satis- 
factorily, tlie  more  is  the  originality  of  a  great  poet  like  Milton 
in  appropriating  other  poet's  ideas. 

Believe  me,  &c., 

A.  Panizzi." 

Whatever  may  liave  been  the  ultimate  settlement 
of  this  friendly  discussion,  Panizzi's  estimate  of  Sir 
George's  talents  and  abilities  may  be  accurately 
gathered  from  tiie  next  letter  we  quote,  which  asks 
him  to  become  a  candidate  for   a  vacant  Trusteeship 

of  the  British  Museum. 

"  British  Museum,  August  16,  1856. 
"  My  dear  Sir  George, 

The  Dean  of  Westminster  is  dead:  he  was  one 
of  our  Trustees.  We  want  as  his  successor  an  ]M.P.  who  will 
help  us  when  not  in  oHice,  who  is  pretty  safe  of  his  seat,  and 
whose  pursuits  render  him  fit  for  the  place.  Now,  without 
any  ceremony,  you  are  the  man  we  want,  and  I  mean  to  do 
■what  little  I  can  to  bring  your  name  1  efore  the  electors. 
There  can  be  no  difficulty,  as  the  Government  necessarily  get 
elected  whom  they  please.  I  want  no  answer  from  you,  except 
if  you  decidedly  object:  in  which  case  I  want  you  only  to 
write  the  word  no.  I  hope,  however,  you  will  accept  '  la 
candidature,'  as  the  French  say.  I  think  Curcton  ought  to 
be   elected   Dean.     He  is  one  of  the  most  eminent  Oriental 


306 


THE    LIFE   OF   SIR   ANTHONY   FANIZZI 


scholars  in  the  world,  as  you   know — and  certainly  tlio  most 
eminent  in  England. 

Believe  me,  &c., 

A.  Pamzzi." 
"P.S. — I    know    Lord    Clarendon    is    staying    with   you. 
Please  show  him  this  :  I  am  sure  he  will  see  that  it  is  done — 
I  mean  for  you." 

The  hopes  thus  expressed  Avere  realized,  as,  on  the 
27th  of  February  of  the  following  year  (1857),  Sir 
George  C.  Lewis  was  appointed  one  of  the  Trustees 
of  our  famous  Institution. 

And  here  may  be  given  an  extract  from  a  letter  of 
J.  A.  Carlj'le  (Thomas  Carlyle's  brother),  also  on  the 
topic  of  Dante's  poems,  which  deserves  recognition, 
as  a  proof  of  the  esteem  in  which  Panizzi  was  uni- 
versally held,  in  especial  by  Englishmen. 

"  20th  December,  1848. 
"  I  really  wish  you  could  find  leisure  to  write  something 
expressly  concerning  the   times  in  which  Dante  lived.     You 
could    do   it  better  tlian  any   other  person,   and  it  has    now 
become  very  necessary." 

And  now,  let  us  proceed  to 
another  publication.  In  the 
year  1858  Panizzi  issued,  for 
his  friends,  a  charming  little 
work,  beautifully  printed,  also 
oy  Charles  "Whittingham. 

Wi'itten  in  Italian,  and  dedi- 
cated to  H.R.H  the  Duke 
d'Aumale,  only  250  <;opies  were 
printed,  under  the  title  of  Chi 
tra  Francesco  dec  Bologna  ? — 
proving,  so  far  as  the  ques- 
tion could  be  then  proved,  that  the  said   Francesco 


FK.'LN'CESCO    RAIBOLINI.  307 

da  Bologna  was  no  other  than  the  celebrated  painter. 
Francesco  Raibolini,  born  about  1450,  and  com- 
monly called  il  F'rancia.  The  name  of  Francia 
he  derived  from  his  master,  a  goldsinith,  die,  and 
niello  engraver.  According  to  Vasari  and  a  docu- 
ment discovered  by  Calvi,  his  death  took  place  on 
the  6th  of  January,  1517.*  Francesco  Raibolini 
was  at  once,  in  common  with  many  of  his  compeers, 
goldsmith  and  type-cutter,  as  well  as  a  painter, 
and  to  his  skilful  hands,  Aldus,  whose  name  they  bear, 
was  indebted  for  his  characters.  From  Panizzi,  we 
learn  that,  "  at  the  end  of  the  short  Preface  prefixed 
by  Aldus  to  his  first  edition  of  Virgil  (1501),  printed 
in  the  cursive  or  secretarial  characters  manum  menti- 
entcs,  afterwards  generally  known  by  the  name  of 
Aldine,  are  the  following  three  verses  : — 

I^'   GRAMMATOGLTPTiE 

Laudem. 
"  Qui  grails  dedit  Aldus,  en  latinis 
Dat  nunc  grammata  scalpta  dccdaleis 
Francisci  manibus  Bononiensis," 

(Translation).  In  praise  of  the  type-engraver.  Aldus  now 
gives  to  the  Latins,  as  he  gave  to  the  Grreeks,  letters  graven  by 
the  dcudal  hands  of  Francesco  da  Bologna. 

Besides  cutting  types,  Francesco  used  them  too,  for 
he  set  \\\)  a  press  at  his  native  town,  Bologna,  in 
1516,  and  printed  several  works,  now  rare,  as,  for  in- 
stance, "  II  Canzoniere  "  of  Petrarch,  "  L' Arcadia  di 
Sannazaro  "  and  "  Gli  Asolani "  of  Bembo,  "  II  Corbac- 
cio"  and  the  "  Epistolae  ad  Familiares  "  of  Cicero. 

*  The  date  as  in  the  document  in  question  is  1517.  The  old  custom  of 
beginning  the  ecclesiastical  and  legal  year  on  the  25th  ©f  March  was  never 
established  at  Bologna. 

X 


308  THE    LIFE    OF   SIR    ANTIIO^'Y    PAXIZZI. 

About  1503,  Francesco  quarrelled  with  Aldus,  and 
we  find,  in  a  letter  prefixed  to  the  edition  of  Petrarch, 
that  he  bitterly  complains  of  deriving  no  honour  or 
profits  from  the  types  he  had  himself  cut.  It  is  noto- 
rious that  Aldus  freely  gave  out  that  he  was  not  only 
the  inventor,  but  also  the  cutter  ;  and,  therefore,  the 
work  by  Panizzi,  to  say  nothing  of  its  beauty,  is  of 
great  importance,  for  it  does  justice  to  the  real  in- 
ventor, and  this  discovery  is  due  to  the  author  of  the 
pamphlet,  who,  besides,  enlightens  us,  in  clear  lan- 
guage, respecting  the  distinguished  Bolognese  : — 

"  From  the  beginning  of  printing  up  to  a  time  not 
far  distant  from  our  own,  the  engravers  of  punches 
for  types  were  goldsmiths,  die-sinkers,  medallists, 
niellists, — masters  in  their  art.  It  will  be  found  m 
Zani  that  Fust  and  Schocff'er  were  goldsmiths,  and  so, 
it  is  believed,  Avas  Guttenbcrg  ;  while,  in  the  opinion 
of  the  said  Zani,  it  was  Giovanni  Dunne,  '  a  most  ex- 
cellent goldsmith,  wlio  led  the  way  in  the  formation 
of  metal  types.'  .  .  .  Every  one  knows  how  dis- 
tinguished Francia  was  as  a  goldsmith,  his  first  and 
chief  profession,  and  how  frequently  he  signed  his 
paintings  with  the  words,  '  Franciscus  Francia  auri- 
faber,'  or  '  aurifex,'  as  if  he  gloried  in  the  designa- 
tion. Vasari  says,  in  the  Life  of  Francia,  that  his 
fine  medals  stood  on  a  par  with  those  of  Caradosso ; 
but  he  says  never  a  word  of  the  Furnius  conjured  up 
by  Gaurico." 

"  I  had  long  suspected  that  this  Francesco  da 
Bologna,  was  no  other  than  the  Bolognese  Francesco 
Raibolini,  generally  known  as  '  Francia.'  Some 
years  ago,  in  running  through  a  work    of  some   note 


FRANCESCO   RAIBOLINI.  309 

in  former  times,  I  found  that  after  mentioning  various 
ancient  artists,  exactly  as  Gaurico  does,  it  went  on  to 
speak  of  the  modern  ones  thus  : — *  I  find  amongst 
the  ancients  one  great  omission  of  which  the  moderns 
take  notice,  and  that  is  with  regard  to  engravers  or 
artists  in  silver,  a  kind  of  work  known  as  niello.  I 
am  acquainted  with  a  man  of  the  highest  excellence, 
and  very  famous  in  his  art,  his  name  is  Francesco 
da  Bologna,  otherwise  Franza  ;  he  forms  or  engraves 
on  a  diminutive  orb  or  plate  of  silver,  so  many  men 
and  animals,  so  many  mountains,  trees,  and  castles, 
and  in  so  many  various  shapes  and  positions  that  it  is 
wonderful  to  behold  or  describe.'  " 

"  And  here  I  might  stop,"  continues  Panizzi,  "were 
it  not  that  the  direct  testimony  of  Leonardi  is  cor- 
roborated irrefragably  by  a  very  remarkable  circum- 
stance ....  I  think  I  may  conclude  by  answering 
the  question  which  I  have  put  to  myself,  thus : — 
Francesco  da  Bologna  ivas  Francesco  JRaibolhii, 
called  Francia,  the  worthy  contemporary  and  com- 
patriot of  Leonardo,  Raphael,  and  Michel  Angelo, 
great  as  a  painter,  great  as  an  engraver,  great  as  a 
medallist,  great  as  a  niellist,  without  equal  as  a  type- 
cutter,  a  shining  ornament  of  illustrious  and  learned 
Bologna." 

Conclusive  as  Panizzi's  argument  appeared  to  be, 
there  were,  of  course,  dissentients,  and  among  them 
was  Count  Giacomo  Manzoni,  who,  in  a  jocular  letter 
to  the  late  Librarian  of  the  Laurenziana  (Florence) 
Cav.  Ferrucci,  expressed  his  doubts.  Panizzi,  in  a 
tone  of  equal  good  humour,  confuted  the  Count, 
and  issued  a  second  edition  in  1873,  contain- 
x2 


CIO  THE    LIFE   OF   SIR   ANTHONY   PANIZZI. 

ing  his  answer  to  Count  Manzoni's  suggested  objec- 
tions. 

The  "  bijou "  work  (or  as  Monsieur  Brunet,  the 
celebrated  bibliophile  termed  it,  un  veritable  bijou 
typograjyhique),  once  out  of  the  publisher's  hands,  it 
was  circulated  amongst  Panizzi's  friends,  and  trans- 
ilated  by  Mr.  Charles  Cannon.  The  laudatory  letters, 
replete  with  thanks,  which  followed  were  numerous, 
but  as  an  example  of  these,  that  from  the  already 
mentioned  Mons.  Brunet  must  suffice  : — 

"  Paris,  30  Nov.,  1858. 

"  Monsieur, 

J'ai  Hen  tarde  a  vous  remercier  du  charmant 
opuscule  que  M.  Merimee  m'  a  fait  I'honneur  de  me  remettre  do 
votre  part.  C'est  qu'  avant  dc  vous  ecrire  je  voulais  avoir  pris 
connaissance  de  cette  curieuse  dissertation,  et  que  maiheureuse- 
ment,  occupe  sans  relache  d'un  travail  in  extremis,  pour  ma 
nouvelle  edition,  il  me  reste  bien  peu  de  temps  a  donner  a 
mes  plaisirs.  C'en  a  ete  un  veritable  pour  moi  de  vous  lire  et 
d'admirer  I'exactitrude  de  vos  fac-simile.  Vos  conjectures, 
Monsieur,  sur  Francesco  de  Bologna,  me  paraissent  bien 
fondees :  elles  font  connaitre  tout  le  merite  d'un  artiste,  que 
iusqu'ici,  on  avait  regarde  seulement  comme  un  habile 
graveur  de  poingons  a  I'usage  des  imprimeurs. 

A    I'egard  de  ces  poinfons,  pcrmettez  moi,  Monsieur,  de 
faire  ici  une  reserve  en  faveur  de  I'Alde  I'ancien.     Get  impri- 
meur,  a  ce  qu'il  parait,  les  a  achetes  de  Francesco,  il  en  a  fait 
frapper  les  matrices  necessaires  pour   la  fonte  des  caracteres 
cursifs  dontil  a  faitun  si  frequent  usage  a  partir  de  1501.    Or, 
avant  de  se  livrer  aux  depenses  considerables  ou  cela  devait  ■ 
I'entrainer,  il  a  du  naturellement  se  reserver  la  propriete  exclu- ' 
sive  des  objects  acquis  par  lui,  alors  s'il  en  agit  ainsi,  il  a  eu" 
raison  de  se  plaindre  de  ce  que  I'artiste  eut  livre  des  caracteres 
5cmblables  a  Geronimo  Soncino  pour  son  Petrarque  de  1503, 


JOHN   HARRIS.  311 

et  il  etait  parfaitement  dans  son  droit  loTsqu'il  sollicitait  et 
obtcnalt  du  Pape  un  privilege  exclusif  pour  ses  nouveaux 
caracteres. 

Je  connaissais  deja  plusieurs  des  petites  editions  donnees  par 
Francesco,  en  1516,  mais  pas  le  Ciceron,  et  j"ignorais  que  cet 
artiste  n'eut  exerce  la  Typographic,  que  moins  d'une  annee. 
J'aurais,  j'en  suis  certain  bien  d'autres  choses  a  apprendre  de 
vous,  Monsieur,  qui  possedez  de  si  grandes  connaissances  en  ce 
genre,  mais,  a  mon  grand  regret,  eloigne  de  vous  pour 
toujours,  ct  occupe  de  terminer  un  travail  que  mon  grand  age 
m'avertit  de  limiter,  je    ne  pourrai  guere  profiter  des  secours 

que  vous  m'avez  si  obligemment  offerts  lorsque  j'ai  eu  le  plaisir 
de  vous  voir, 

Agreez,  &c.,  &c., 

Brunet." 
The  fac-similes  which  are  placed  at  the  end  of  the 
work  were  executed  by  John  Harris,  Lincomimra- 
hile  Harris,  as  Panizzi  was  in  the  habit  of  styling 
him.  As  a  fac-similist  he  stood  alone.  So  correct 
and  so  wonderful  were  his  productions,  that  Panizzi 
himself  adopted  the  safe  plan  of  writing,  in  pencil,  on 
the  margin  of  them,  "  This  is  by  J.  H. — A.  P."  He 
eventually  lost  his  sight,  and  died  very  poor.  Some 
of  the  leaves  supplied  by  him  are  so  perfectly  done 
that,  after  a  few  years,  he  himself  experienced  some 
difficulty  in  distinguishing  his  own  work  from  the 
original.  On  one  occasion  a  question  arose  as  to  the 
completeness  of  a  certain  copy  of  a  rare  book  in  the 
Museum  Library  ;  it  was  brought  to  light  and  care- 
fully examined  by  Panizzi,  Mr.  Jones,  and  Mr.  AA  atts. 
After  a  fruitless  search,  page  by  page,  a  consultation 
ended  in  a  summons  to  Harris  himself  to  point  out  the 
leaves  that  he  had  supplied.  It  was  only  after  a  very 
close  examination  that  the  artist  was  able  to  detect  his 


312  THE    LIFE    OF    SIR   ANTHONY    PANIZZI. 

own  handiwork.  This  circumstance  induced  Panizzi  to 
to  initial  all  such  fac-similes.  The  reader  is  recom- 
mended to  examine  a  book  in  the  National  Library, 
— a  copy  of  Magna  Charta,  as  a  specimen  of  his 
skill. 

Mr.  Grenville  employed  Harris  largely.  On  one 
occasion  he  supplied  a  few  missing  leaves  to  a  rare 
book,  and  after  it  was  shown  to  connoisseurs,  the 
venerable  gentleman  presented  him  with  the  book. 

So  much  for  Panizzi's  literary  abilities  and  his  dis- 
cernment and  success  in  this  sphere  of  his  many  and 
arduous  labours,  in  which  he  exhibited  the  same 
powers  of  mind  and  application  as  in  all  the  varied 
occupations  of  his  busy  life.  Enough  has,  however, 
been  said  to  show  how,  amongst  all  his  other  multi- 
farious and  unceasing  occupations,  he  found  time  to 
dedicate  his  mind  to  literature,  and  literature  of  a 
class  to  demand  the  greatest  application  and  labour 
of  the  brain. 


-H-e^^ffl+Jgs^r^o-f- 


CHAPTER  XI 


3Imor  Incidents ;  Holland  Mouse ;  Sydney  Smith  ;  Ecclesiastical 
Conunission  Act  (1836);  Jusej)]'  Paries;  Count  d' Orsay ;  Lord 
Melbourne  ;  Mrs.  Xorton  :  Dr.  Hampden's  Case  ;  Watts'  Portrait 
of  Panizzi ;    Lord  Holland;    Hardy's  Life  of  Jjord   Lanydale. 

^'iTHEETO  our  work  has  consisted  for 
the  most  part  of  details  of  important 
facts  :  it  may,  therefore,  be  well  for  a 
time  to  digress,  and  to  string  together 
some  of  the  minor  incidents  of  Panizzi's 
life,  without  which  this  could  scarcely  claim  to  be  a 
faithful  biography.  To  recount  such  small  traits  of 
character  may  be  deemed  simply  gossip ;  yet,  on  re- 
flection, it  is  not  so,  as  it  is  thus  that  true  light  is 
brought  to  bear  on  the  man's  character,  and,  by  these 
details,  an  opportunity  is  given  of  judging  disposition 
and  intentions,  which  could  not  otherwise  have  been 
afibrded.  In  presenting  the  following  items,  therefore, 
to  our  readers,  accompanied  as  our  observations  are  by 
original  correspondence,  we  sim])ly  perform  tlie  duty 
which  should  be  fulfilled  by  every  honest  biographer. 
In  a  life  like  Panizzi's,  much  importance  is  attached  to 
what,  at  first,  may  appear  insignificant,  relating  in  a 
great  degree  to  the  society  of  which  he  was  a  member. 


314 


TH?    LIFE    OF   SIR   ANTHONY   PANIZZI. 


The  name  of  Holland  House  has  long  been  notable 
as  the  headquarters  of  one  of  the  most  delightful  of 
London  coteries,  not  only  for  the  celebrity  in  the 
woTld  of  letters  of  its  immediate  frequenters,  but  also 
for  the  eminence  in  political  life  of  many  more  who 
resorted  thither.  Whether  or  no  the  Church  was 
adequately  represented  in  the  person  of  that  wittiest, 

and  most  genial  of  ecclesiastics, 
Sydney  Smith,  certain  it  is  that 
the  society  of  the  place  would 
have  been  greatly  the  loser  by  his 
absence.  Here  Panizzi,  who,  in 
proportion  to  the  sterling  worth 
of  his  company,  appears  ever  to 
"^y^  have  been  a  welcome  guest,  very 
soon  after  his  arrival  in  London 
established  a  footing  ;  and  at  the 
time  of  her  marriage,  in  1833,  the 
l^resent  Lady  Holland  found  him  already  an  habitue  of 
Holland  House,  in  company  with  such  distinguished 
individuals  as  Lord  Grey,  Lansdowne,  and  Brougham. 
Moore,  Jeffrey,  and  Allen. 

Speaking  from  personal  knowledge  of  Panizzi,  we 
are  inclined,  in  a  great  measure,  to  ascribe  his  re- 
markable social  successes  to  that  innate  and  subtle 
quality  with  which  so  few  men  comparatively  are 
endowed — perhaps  happily  so  ;  for  want  of  a  better 
term,  let  us  call  it  personal  influence.  In  this  respect 
he  has  always  seemed  to  suggest  to  us  a  comparison 
of  him  with  the  late  Dr.  Arnold.  The  latter  was 
apparently  a  man  of  great  mental  powers  and  amiable 


HOLLAND    HOUSE.  315 

disposition  ;  still,  in  his  own  peculiar  sphere,  many  of 
his  contemporaries  may  have  equalled,  and  some  even 
surpassed  him. 

This  may  be  true  to  a  certain  extent ;  hut,  con- 
sidering the  talents  which  this  great  man  possessed,  it 
seems  almost  absurd  to  remark  that  some  of  his  own 
pupils  have  attributed  to  him  a  deficiency  of  that  sixth 
sense  which  is  generally  regarded  as  the  most  judicious 
controller  and  regulator  of  our  actions — sense  of 
humour.  With  men  of  discernment  and  of  note, 
there  is,  however,  always  some  distinguishing  quality, 
— so  in  the  case  of  Arnold  and  Panizzi  it  happened 
that,  whereas  the  one  was  calculated  to  instil  into  those 
with  whom  he  came  in  contact  awe,  the  other  was 
ever  welcome,  from  the  congeniality  of  his  disposition. 
Nor  in  savino-  this  do  we  detract  in  tlie  smallest  degree 
from  the  mental  or  moral  worth  of  either.  For  this 
quality  of  personal  influence,  although,  like  "  reading 
and  writing,"  it  comes  "  by  nature,"  yet  is  nevertheless 
dependent  for  continuous  life  and  maintenance  upon 
genuine  merit  in  its  subject. 

Like  mates  not  always  with  like,  and  the  cha- 
racters of  Panizzi  and  Sydney  Smith  must  have 
differed  very  widely ;  yet,  notwithstanding  all  diver- 
gences of  mental  constitution,  it  was  not  long  ere  an 
intimate  friendship  sprang  up  between  them. 

In  the  year  1836  the  Ecclesiastical  Commission  Act, 
for  the  supervision  and  re-adjustment  of  certain  of  the 
revenues  and  sources  of  revenue  of  the  English  Church, 
was  passed.  It  must  be  conceded  that  this  Commis- 
sion made  a  pretty  clean  sweep  of  not  a  few  offices  in 
the  Church  hardly  worthy  the   expense  of  retention. 


316  THE    LIFE    OF   SIR   ANTIIOXY   PANIZZI. 

as  well  as  of  others  more  venerable  for  antiquity  than 
valuable  in  point  of  usefulness  ;  and  for  many  years  it 
had  to  bear  the  brunt  of  accusations,  not  always  made 
by  those  who  objci^t  to  the  most  moderate  reforms. 
It  is  only  lately,  indeed,  tliat  we  have  ourselves  listened 
to  some,  who  might  long  ago  have  been  wearied  of, 
though  truly  they  were  not  satiated  with,  their  denun- 
ciations of  this,  to  them,  wanton  act  of  spoliation,  this 
invasion  of  the  rights  of  the  Church,  &c.,  &c.,  &c. 

On  the  side  of  the  assailants,  Sydney  Smith  put  in 
a  very  early  ajjpearance.  His  attack  upon  the  arbi- 
trary power  given  to  the  Commission,  and  on  the  little 
protection  alibrded  to,  and  the  little  heed  taken  of, 
the  rights  of  the  poorer  clergy,  lasted  until  1840  ;  in 
which  year  a  petition,  presented  by  him,  in  July, 
against  it,  was  read  in  the  House  of  Lords  by  the 
Bishop  of  Hochcster. 

Sydney  Smith  was  warmly  rebuked,  for  that  he,  a 
professedly  consistent  lYhig,  should  have  borne  himself 
with  so  much  hostility  towards  the  rulers  of  his  party. 
However,  his  correspondence  on  the  subject  during 
these  four  years  was  extensive,  and  a  letter  written  by 
him  to  Panizzi,  criticising  the  conduct  of  the  Bishops, 
is  certainly  worthy  of  reproduction  : 

"21  December,  183G. 

Combe  Florey. 
"  My  dear  Panizzi, 

Various  Bishops,  of  whom  the  Archbisliop  of 
Canterbury  is  at  the  head,  on  the  Ecclesiastical  Commission, 
combine  in  recommending  tliat  the  revenues  of  their  various 
churches  should  be  seized,  the  patronage  confiscated,  and  the 
numbers  abridged.  Now,  tlie  Archbishop,  at  his  consecration, 
took  a  solemn  oath  that  he  would  preserve  the  rights,  revenues, 


SYDNEY    SMITH.  817 

and  property  of  his  Cathedral  ;  moreover,  m  the  debates  on 
the  Catholic  question,  the  said  Archbishop  laid  a  great  stress 
upon  the  King's  oath  at  his  Coronation,  so  did  the  Bishop  of 
London.  I  have  no  books  here;  would  you  do  me  the  favour 
to  look  into  the  debates  on  that  subject,  and  extract  any  short 
passage  from  the  speeches  of  either  of  the  prelates  on  the 
sanctity  and  impoi^tance  of  this  oath.  You  will  find  what 
has  been  said,  of  course,  in  Hansard.  I  shall  be  much  obliged 
to  you  to  do  this  for  me. 

Ever  yours  truly, 

Sydney  Smith." 
Fortunately  even  the  power  of  Sydney  Smith's 
opposition  failed  to  hinder  the  carrying  out  of  a  re- 
form, perhaps  the  least  revolutionary  that  could  have 
been  devised  for  the  administration  of  the  property 
of  the  Church. 

In  the  same  proportion  as  diversity  of  topics  enters 
into  a  series  of  correspondence,,  will,  as  a  rule,  be  the 
amount  of  amusement  to  be  derived  by  the  public 
from  its  perusal.  But  one  more  letter  from  Sydney 
Smith  to  Panizzi  is  in  our  possession,  and  this,  so  far 
as  it  goes,  and  in  conjunction  with  the  letter  already 
quoted,  sufficiently  fulfils  the  above  condition.  It 
certainly  treats  of  no  grave  question  of  ecclesiastical 
or  other  politics,  but  is  concerned  with  nothing  mean 
or  unimportant,  since  it  relates  to  an  invitation  to 
dinner  sent  by  the  writer  to  the  recipient,  and  is 
eminently  characteristic  of  its  author  : — 

"23  April,  1844, 
"  ]\Ty  dear  Panizzi, 

I   wrote   to  you   two  or  three  times  inviting  you  to 

dinner  for  the  SGth.    Pcreiving  no  answer,  I  concluded  you 

were  dead,    and  I  invited  your  executors.     News,  however, 

came  that  you  were  out  of  town.     I    should    as   soon   have 


318  THE    LIFE    OF   SIR   ANTHONY    PANIZZI. 

thought  of  St.  Paul's  or  the  Monument  being  out  of  town, 
but  as  it  was  positively  asserted,  I  have  filled  up  your  place. 
I  hope  to  be  more  fortunate  on  another  occasion. 

Yours,  &c.,  &c., 

Sydney  Smith." 

During  this  part  of  his  career — as  indeed  so  long 
as  he  could  himself  write — Panizzi's  general  corres- 
pondence was  too  voluminous  to  allow  of  much 
selection;  for  the  notes  and  explanations  thereon, 
Avhen  at  hand  or  to  be  obtained,  would  inordinately 
increase  the  bulk  of  this  work.  We,  therefore,  sub- 
join but  a  few  specimens,  which   mostly  speak  for 

themselves : — 

"  Westminster, 

Dec.  4,  1842. 

"  Dear  Panizzl, 

What  a  d fellow  you  are ;  a  man  of  taste  and 

accomplishment  to  write  such  a  cursed  illegible  hand,  that 
only  the  devil  liimself  could  decipher  you.  The  truth  is  that 
when  you  spoke  to  me  about  your  note,  I  really  did  not  sec 
the  point  of  its  contents.  I  opened  it  in  my  office  full  of 
angry  Jew  creditors  of  a  client.  I  just  ran  through  it,  could 
not  decipher  half,  and  seeing  it  was  on  literature,  no  business, 
I  interred  it  alive  in  a  box — the  mausoleum  of  my  merely 
private  correspondence — waiting  leisure  to  peruse  it.  It  so 
happened  that  I  never  opened  the  said  box  till  to-night, 
when  I  took  up  your  body.  Eeally  an  illegible  handwriting 
ought  to  be  a  statutory  crime,  and  shall  be  when  I  get  into 
Parliament.  I  can't  now  decipher  two  of  your  words  till 
daylight  in  the  morning.  The  next  time  you  send  me  an 
illegible  note  I  will  return  it  to  you,  not  prepaid,  to  be  copied 
by  your  secretary. 

So  good  night,  and  I  could  not  sleep  without  giving  you 
this  cat-o'-nine-tails.  I  never  was  so  put  to  it  in  my  life  as 
when  you  accosted  me  in  the  club,  for  tliought  I  to  myself, 


PANIZZI    AJS'D    THE    "  EDINBURGH    EEVIEW."  319 

I  will  be  hanged  if  I  know  the  subject  matter  of  his  note  ; 
what  can  I  feign  ? 

Yours  nevertheless  truly, 

J.  P."  * 

The  next  is  to  the  Editor  of  the  Edinhoyjh 
Review,  and  relates  to  certain  articles  written  therein 
by  Panizzi : — 

'*  Saturday,  British  Museum, 
(1844). 
*'  My  Dear  Sir, 

I  direct  to  Edinburgh,  as  I  suppose  you  either  are  or 
will   soon  be  back   there.     I  am  glad  we  agree  about  the 
'  Jesuits.'     The   '  Post-Office '  article   will  be  lonijer  than  I 
thought ;  there  is  a  great  deal  important  unsaid  that  we  must 
say.     The  Jesuits  shall  follow  ;  both  by  the  middle   of  Sep- 
tember shall  be  ready.  .  .  .  There  is  no  article  on  any  subject 
of  immediate,  striking,   and  now  exciting  intei^est.     For  in- 
stance the    '  Post-Office   Espionage  '  is  one  of  them  ;   Algiers 
and  French  ambition  is  another.     The  Jesuits  is  a  third,  and 
that  is  why  1  chose  them.     Any  article  on   Ireland,  or  sugar 
and  free  trade,   or  the    slave  trade,  or  Puseyism,   &c.,  &c., 
would  be  welcome  to  general  readers.     Puseyism,  I   know, 
you  have  touched  upon,  but,  with  the  Dublin  Revieio  on  the 
one  hand  and  Newman's  publication  on  the  other,  you  might 
pay  off  these  two    inveterate  enemies  of  yours  most  capitally. 
Then,   although   I  know  your  difficulties  about  it,  as  it  is  a 
serious  review,  you  want  light,  amusing  articles,  anecdotes  of 
shooting,  fishing,  and  of  old  Highlanders  and  robbers  (or  gen- 
tlemen who  took  what  they   wanted),  travels,  &c.     As  I  put 
down  at  random   what,  I  think,  may  illustrate  what  I  moan, 
the  number  is,  in  fact,  too  good  for  this  age  of  light  reading; 
wc   are  impatient  if  we  don't  get  on  in  reading,  as  we  do 
travelling  by  steam. 

Ever  yours  truly, 

A.  Panizzi." 

*  Joseph  Parkes,  Lawyer  and  Politician,  died  18(55, 


320  THE    LIFE   OP    SIR   AXTHOXY    PANIZZI. 

A  letter  from  Count  d'Orsay,  on  a  curious  fact  in 
natural  history,  will  be  read  \nth  interest.  Panizzi's 
answer  to  this  is  not  forthcoming,  but  it  may  be 
doubted  if  he  succeeded  in  conveying  any  very  valu- 
able information  to  the  Count's  mind  on  the  sub- 
ject : — : 

*'  Gore  House, 

"  Mon  cher  Panizzi,  Mardi. 

Je  suppose  que  vous  avez  im  JBuffon  dans  votre  etablisse- 
ment,  qui  pourra  nous  eclairer  surle  sujet  d'un  animal  presque 
fabuleux,  qui  vient  de  jouer  le  role  a  Van  Diemen  Land,  que 
Eacinefit  jouer  a  celui,  qui  causa  la  mort  d'Hippolyte. 

"  Miss   X a  refu  aujourd'hui  une  lettre  de  sa  mere 

Jinnon^ant  que  le  meme  jour  quelle  ecrivait,  elle  allait  voir  un 

tigre    marin   qu'on    avait   tue   avec  une  grande  difficulte,  et 

qui  avait    poursuivi  sur  terre  plusieurs  personnes — c'etait  la 

terreur  des  environs,  on  le  nommait  aussi  Sea-Devil,  il  resista 

^  quatre  coups  de  feu,  et  apres  un  combat  acharne  on  lui 

ouvrit  le  crane,   d'un  coup  de  hache.     Ainsi  done  comme  la 

poste   est  partie  avant  qu'on  ai  vu  ce   monstre  nous  sommes 

tres    anxieux    de   savoir    si   vos   naturallistes    connaissent   ce 

pcrsonnage. 

Votre  tout  devoue,  &c., 

C.  D'Orsay." 

The  following,  from  Lord  Melbourne  to  Panizzi, 

•conveys  the  notion  that   the  former    discovered  the 

beauties    of    Ovid's    Metamorphoses    rather    late   in 

life  :— 

"  South  Street,  Feb.  27,  1846. 

"  My  dear  Mr.  Panizzi, 

I  have  lately  been  looking  at  the  Metamorphoses 
of  Ovid,  a  book  in  which  I  find  much  beautiful  poetry  and 
more  curious  matters.  Burman,  in  his  note  upon  the  title  of 
the  poem  (Vol.  II.  of  his  edition,  p.  7)  says  that  the  poem  was 
founded  upon  an  ancient  Greek  poem   by  the  writer,  of  the 


MRS.    NORTOX.  321 

name  of  Parmenius  Cliius.  What  is  Bunnan's  authority  for 
this  Parmenius,  and  where  are  the  traces  of  his  poem  ?  I  do 
not  remember  ever  to  have  read  his  name,  and  I  cannot  find 
it  in  the  Index  to  Quinetilian,  who,  I  thought,  had  mentioned 
-every  poet  of  any  eminence,  Greek  or  Latin. 

Yours  faithfally, 

]\Ielbourne." 

A  letter  from  the  Hon.  Mrs.  Norton,  on  the  subject 

■of  Lord  Melbourne's  friendship  for  Panizzi  (to  which 

a    second    on    the    same  subject  is  added),   must  be 

.  quoted,  though  it  is  not  -without  something  of  melan- 

vcholy  interest ; — 

"  Chesterfield  Street, 
(Xovcmbcr,  1845)  Friday  evening. 
"  Dear  Mr.  Panizzi, 

I  met  Lord  Melbourne  at  dinner  to-day,  and  men- 
^tioned   to   him   having    seen  you  and  Mr.  Thackeray.     He 
begged  me  to  -^Tite,  for  him,  to  ask  j^ou  if  you  would  dine 
with  him  on  Monday,  and  Mr.  Thackeray  also.     Will  you  let 
me  know,  as  soon  as  convenient,  and  will  j^ou,  who  are  an  old 
friend  of  Lord  Melbourne's,  explain  anything  that  may  seem 
odd  and  blunt  in  his  mode  of  inviting  without  introduction, 
though  indeed  he  persists  very  obstinately  that  Mr.  Thackeray 
is  a  clergyman,  with  whom  he  is,  or  ought  to  be,  acquainted. 
I  said  I  did  not  think  it  clerical  to  write  about  the  Bishop  of 
Bullochsmitlty ^  and  that  I  did  not  think  Mr.  Thackeray  was  a 
•clergyman  at  all.     But  this   is   not  of  importance   in  com- 
parison of  his  coming  to  dinner  at  half-past  seven  (punctual) 
'on  Monday. 

I  wish  you  would  now  and  then  call  on  Lord  Melbourne,  as 
since  he  is  invalided  he  takes  great  pleasure  in  receiving 
visits  from  his  friends,  and  I  think  about  four  o'clock  or  a 
little  later  (when  there  is  no  House  of  Lords)  is  a  good 
moment  to  find  him.  Poor  Lady  Holland's  death  has  deprived 
him  of  a  very  near  neighbour,  where  he  could  be  (without 


322  THE   LIFE    OF    SIR   AXTHOXY   PANIZZI 

fatigue  or  form)    in    pleasant    society.     She  had  certainly  a 
very  real  regard  for  hira. 

Yours,  &c.,  &c., 

Caroline  Norton." 

"  Dear  Mr.  Panizzi, 

If  Mr.  Thackeray  will  send  his  reply  to  Lord 
Melbourne,  it  will  save  time  and  be  more  correct.  It  is  only 
in  writing  that  he  is  glad  sometimes  to  get  a  secretary  (like 
me),  as  his  hand  is  rather  crippled,  and  his  writing  a  trouble 
to  perform,  and  when  performed,  very  illegible." 

I  assure  you  there  is  '  no  love  lost '  in  your  preference  for 
him — as  the  moment  I  mentioned  your  name  he  began 
praising  you.  The  '  green  turf  and  flat  stone  '  is  a  receipt 
for  blotting  out  all  dislikable  qualities,  and  we  will  give  Lady 
H.  the  benefit  of  it.  The  charmed  circle  is  gone !  It  was  the 
first  peep  of  the  great  world  I  got  in  my  girlhood,  and  what 
the  gap  must  be  to  those  who  are  old  enough  to  remember 
all  who  composed  that  circle,  we  cannot  judge,  who  only  knew 
it  as  the  stars  were  dropping  one  by  one  away. 

I  am  very  sorry  you  cannot  dine  on  Monday.  I  hope  it 
will  be  a  pleasure  deferred.  Tell  Mr.  Thackeray  the  hour  is- 
7.30,  not  nominally,  as  is  usual  in  London  invitations. 

Yours,  &c.,  &c., 

Caroline  Norton." 

It  is  hardly  to  be  wondered  at  that  Panizzi  never 
became  so  thoroughly  indigenous  as  to  understand 
what  must  appear  to  a  foreigner  a  greater  puzzle 
than  even  the  constitution  and  politics  of  England — 
viz.,  the  manasfcment  and  re^-ulation  of  ecclesiastical 
affairs.  His  opinion  of  the  Hampden  case,  and  of 
the  circumstances  affecting  it,  cannot  be  the  result 
of  any  very  profound  reflection  on  the  matter.  As  to- 
the  trouble  which,  he  feared,  it  might  bring  upon 
Lord  John  Russell,  it  may  be    recollected  that  Lord 


THE    HAMPDEN   CASE  323 

John  succeeded,  in  one  instance  at  least,  in  evadino- 
it  in  a  manner  that  did  more  credit  to  his  decision 
than  to  his  good  manners. 

"British  Museum,  Jan.  11,  1848. 
"  Dear  Mrs.  Kutherfurd, 

I  have  had  nothing;  to   do  more 

■amusing  of  late  than  to  see  and  hear  all  that  has  been  said  and 
spoken  about  Hampden.  /,  a  good  Roman  Catholic  and 
Apostolic  man,  did  not  care  how  much  damaged  all  parties 
were  spiritually ;  and  so  I  did  not  mind  if  Hampden 
was  proved  an  infidel,  or  all  the  Bishops  for  him,  as  well  as 
those  against  him,  in  the  wrong.  But  at  one  time  I  feared 
for  the  temporal  effects  of  the  quarrel,  lest  it  might  give  Lord 
John  some  trouble.  It  has  ended  admirably.  A  Bishop  who 
confesses  that  he  condemned  what  he  had  not  read  ;  thirteen 
Bishops  and  a  Deacon  opposed  by  a  Deacon  and  thirteen  heads 
of  houses  at  Oxford ;  part  of  the  clergy  sending  addresses 
against  and  part  in  favour  of  Dr.  Hampden ;  a  Dean  who 
swears  he  will  not  vote,  and  all  the  way  allows  his  vote  to  be 
■recorded  ;  a  Canon  who  will  not  have  Dr.  Hampden  because 
he  was  condemned  by  the  very  Bishop  who  retracts  three  days 
after  his  condemnation,  and  confesses  his  ignorance  whilst  he 
exposes  his  knavery  ;  yesterday  half  a  Church  hissing  and  the 
other  half  cheering,  when  the  sermon  of  some  Apostle  or  other 
is  declared  duly  elected ;  the  folly,  which  I  hear  will  be  per- 
sisted in  to-morrow,  of  apologizing  to  the  Court  of  the  Queen's 
Bench,  calling  on  Lord  Denman  and  others  to  prevent  the 
Archbishop  of  Canterbury  from  exercising  a  merely  spiritual 
rite — is  not  this  charming  ?  Could  any  one  like  me  wish  for 
*more  fun  ?" 

Yours,  &c.,  &c., 

A.  Panizzi." 

To  continue  our  ramblings  through  the  correspon- 
dence in  our  hands,  we  insert  a  letter  showing  pretty 
■clearly  in  what  esteem  Panizzi  was  held,  not  only  by 
y 


324  THE    LIFE    OF    SIR   ANTHONY    PANIZZI 

Lord  and  Lady  Hollundj  but  by  others  of  the  society 
of  theii-  house  : — 

"B.  M.,  nodate(?  1850.) 
"  My  dear  Haywood, 

....  I  dined  at  Holland  House  on  Saturday 
last,  and  Watts  (the  painter)  came  after  dinner.  There  is  at 
Holland  House  a  famous  portrait  of  Baretti  by  Sir  Joshua 
Eeynolds.  Lord  and  Lady  Holland  and  some  of  the  guests 
having  prepared  all  this  without  my  knowledge  beforehand, 
surrounded  me  after  dinner,  made  me  look  at  Baretti's  portrait, 
and  then  said  that  there  should  be  a  pendant  to  it,  and  that 
my  portrait,  taken  by  Watts,*  should  be  the  thing.  It  was  no 
use  saying  more  than  I  did — which  was  not  a  little  to  decline 
the  honour.  The  thing  was  a  foregone  conclusion ;  and  so, 
before  Watts  goes  to  Italy,  which  he  is  going  to  do  almost  im- 
mediatelj',  he  is  going  to  paint  me.  What  will  Gambardella 
say  when  he  hears  it  ? 

Ever  yours, 

A.  Panizzi." 

Gambardella  was  a  Neapolitan  artist,  living  at  that 
time  in  England.  He  painted  a  portrait  of  Panizzi, 
which,  according  to  Count  d'Orsay,  was  very  unsatis- 
factory. Before  cjuitting  the  subject  of  Panizzi's  con- 
nection with  Holland  House,  we  should  hardly  be 
justified  in  omitting  all  mention  of  an  afi'air  with 
which  he  became  accidentally  connected,  and  which, 
though  itself  of  no  great  importance,  was  nevertheless 
dashed  with  a  slight  admixture  of  unpleasantness.  A 
short  time  previously  to  1850  the  late  Lord  Holland 
had  compiled  and  edited  two  books  on  the  life  of  his 
father,  which  were  afterwards  published  with  the  fol- 
lowing titles  : — "  Fcifign  Eeminiscences,  by  Henry 
llichard  Lord  Llolland :    Eiliied  by  his  Son,  Henry 

'  ~  *  a.  F.  Watts,  E.A. 


\ 


II 


LORD    HOLLAND  325 

Edward  Lord  Holland.  (London,  1850)."  And 
"  Memoirs  of  the  '  Whig  Party  During  My  Time,'  by 
Henry  Eichard  Lord  Holland :  Edited  by  his  Son, 
Henry  Edward  Lord  Holland.  (2  vols., London,  1852.)" 
The  first  of  these  works  the  author  had,  we  under- 
stand, entrusted  for  revision  and  correction  to  the  late 
Nassau  Senior.  It  was  afterwards,  for  further 
assuyrmce,  submitted  to  Panizzi,  who,  not  altogether 
content  with  Senior's  treatment  of  it,  subjected  it  to  a 
closer  revision.  He  performed  the  same  office  for 
the  second  book,  and  finally  prepared  both  for  the 
2)ress. 

It  seems,  however,  that  Lord  John  Russell,  who 
had  been  instrumental  in  collecting  the  greater  por- 
tion of  the  materials  composing  these  volumes,  had 
felt  some  alarm  as  to  certain  matters  being  published 
in  them,  and  notably  in  the    Bemimscences,    which 
might  possibly  reflect  detrimentally  on  the  character 
of  Lord  Holland's  father,  and  he  accordingly  com- 
municated his  apprehensions  to  the  author,  accom- 
panied by  a  gentle  warning.     This  the  latter  regarded, 
not  altogether  unreasonably,  as  one  of  those  pieces  of 
gratuitous    advice    which    nearly    approach    insults, 
and  ill  brooked  the  suspicion  of  inability  to  guard  his 
own  father's  reputation.     A  correspondence  ensued, 
into  which  Panizzi,  as  might  be  expected,  was  drawn, 
and  which  was  marked  occasionally  by  a  tinge  of  acri- 
mony.    However,  Lord  Holland,  after  a  number  of 
letters  had  passed  from  one  party  to  the  other,  does 
not  appear  to  have  easily  got  over  his  sense  of  Avounded 
feeling ;  and  by  a  letter,  not  in  our  possession,  but 

y2 


326  THE    LIFE    OF    SIR   ANTHONY    PANIZZI 

evidently  prompted  by  indignation,  greatly  provokes 
Panizzi,  of  whose  character  evenness  of  temper  was  by 
no  means  the  strongest  point,  and  who  seems  to  have 
been  roused  almost  to  hostility.  Lord  liolland,  in 
his  final  reply,  demands,  with  some  asperity,  that  the 
subject  be  not  recurred  to,  if  their  mutual  friendship 
is  to  continue. 

"  A  soft  answer  turneth  away  WTath,"  and  it  must 
be  owned  that  his  Lordship's  re]3ly,  however  far  we 
may  suppose  him  to  have  been  wrong  on  the  main 
question,  is  eminently  that  of  a  true  gentleman  : — 

"April  17,  1851. 
Naples. 
"  My  dear  Pan, 

I  wrote  to  you  from  Palermo  a  letter,  which  you 
will  receive  almost  at  the  same  time  as  this. 

It  will  show  you  how  very  far  I  was  from  entertaining  any 
unkind  feeling  towards  you. 

On  my  arrival  here  yesterday  I  found  a  letter  from  you, 
written  in  a  very  hostile  tone.  I  can  only  repeat  that  I  feel 
great  gratitude  to  you  in  all  this  business,  that  I  am  sure  you 
never  meant  in  any  way  to  be  unfriendly  towards  me,  and 
that  if  I  differed  from  you  as  to  the  propriety  of  your  letter 
to  the  Times,  I  am  willing  to   suppose  that  you  on  the  spot 

might  have  better  means  of  judging  than  I  had 

Knowing  how  easily  you  take  fire,  I  should  have  been  more 
guarded  in  writing  to  you ;  but  I  know  also  that  hot  as  you 
are,  you  easily  cool,  and  that  your  indignation  never  really 
interferes  with  your  kind  feelings  for  old  friends. 

Yours  sincerely, 

Holland." 

So  ended  satisfactorily  this  notable  controversy. 
Nor  was  this  the  only  complication  of  the  kind  in 
which  the  importance  thrust  on  Panizzi  served  to 


LORD    LANGDALE  327 

involve  him.  To  none  were  his  relations  closer  than 
to  the  family  of  the  late  Lord  Langdale,  formerly- 
Master  of  the  Rolls,  who,  it  may  be  remembered,  in 
1850,  refused  the  office  of  Lord  Chancellor,  offered 
to  him  on  the  retirement  of  Lord  Cottenham. 

Panizzi's  acquaintance  with  Lord  and  Lady  Lang- 
dale  speedily  ripened  into  a  warm  intimacy,  and  of 
their  daughter,  the  Countess  Teleki,  he  was  the 
especial  favourite.  On  the  death  of  his  Lordship, 
which  happened  on  the  18th  of  April,  1851,  Panizzi 

wrote  as  follows  to  Lord  Putherfurd : — 

"  April  24. 
"  Nodiing  but  your  own  handwriting  could  have  atlbrdcd 
me  any  real  pleasure  in  the  deep  grief  I  feel  at  the  loss  of  both 
the  friends  respecting  whom  you  write.  Lord  Langdale's  I 
feel  most,  as  I  was  often  with  him,  and  as  he  has  given  me, 
at  all  times,  and  at  some  particularly  of  a  comparatively  recent 
date,  such  proof  of  affection  and,  what  is  more,  of  thorough 
esteem  and  regard,  as  I  shall  never  forget.  .  .  . 

Thine,  ever  di  cimre, 

A.  Panizzi." 

Panizzi's  intimacy  with  the  Langdale  family  was, 
notwithstanding  this  great  loss,  kept  up  as  of  old, 
and  to  her  last  days  Lady  Langdale  was  a  frequent 
guest  at  his  house.  After  her  husband's  death,  slie, 
laudably  anxious  to  perpetuate  the  memory  of  so 
worthv  a  man,  committed  the  materials  for  his  bio- 
graphy  to  Mr.  (afterwards  Sir  T.  D.)  Hardy.  The 
book  was  published  in  1852,  and  it  happened  that, 
as  in  the  former  case.  Lord  Holland  had  aroused  the 
fears  of  Lord  John  Russell,  so  in  the  present,  for  like 
reasons,  was  the  wrath  of  Lord  Brougham  evoked  by 
the  "  Memoirs  of  the  Right  Honourable  Henry  Lord 
Langdale." 


328  THE    LIFE    OF   SIR   ANTHONY   PANIZZI 

It  is  really  difficult  to  discover  anything  in  Sir  T. 
D.  Hardy's  book  which  could  have  stirred  up  the 
sceva  indignatio  in  Lord  Brougham,  as  expressed  in 
the  subjoined  letters,  still  less  any  aspersions  on  the 
memory  of  Lord  Langdale  himself. 

"  Scarborough,  31  July,  1852. 

*'  Caro  Signer  Antonio, 

As  you  interfered  (most  unadvisedly  I  think)  respect- 
ing that  book  of  Hardy's,  probably  at  the  request  of  the 
family,  I  strongly  recommend  you  to  give  Lady  Langdale 
advice  which  may  prevent  more  harm  being  done.  I  had  not 
seen  the  book  when  I  saw  you.  I  have  now  seen  it,  though 
I  have  not  read  the  whole.  I  have  read  quite  enough  to  show 
me  into  what  scrape  Lady  L.  has  gotten  herself,  by  giving  his 
papers  to  a  person  who,  with  the  best  possible  intentions  I 
have  no  doubt,  is  so  ignorant  of  everything  connected  with 
the  subject,  except  records,  that  he  has  fallen  into  the  grossest 

mistakes There  are  one  or  two  letters  of  Lord 

Langdale   himself  of  which    both    Lord  Denman  and  I  are 
agreed  in  exceedingly  lamenting  the  publication 

Now  as  I  understand  Mr.  Hardy  has  more  letters  and  is 
going  to  publish  another  volume  or  two,  it  really  would  only 
be  an  act  of  kindness  to  Lady  Langdale  and  of  justice  to  Lord 
Langdale's  memory,  to  take  care  that  some  friend  of  the  family, 
who  was  also  acquainted  with  Lord  Langdale  personally,  and 
with  the  history  of  their  time,  should  superintend  Mr.  H's 
operations,  and  save  him  from  falling  into  such  mistakes. 

It  is  impossible  to  doubt  that  he  is  well  acquainted  with 
records,  and  what  he  has  given  on  that  subject  is  extremely 
valuable.  It  is  equally  certain  that  Lord  Langdale  deserves 
the  highest  praise,  and  nothing  can  be  more  just  than  to  give 
him  the  fullest  credit,  not  only  for  what  he  did,  but  for  what 
he  wished  to  do.  If  Mr.  Hardy  has  attacked  almost  every  one 
else,  that  is  his  own  affair,  and  I  dare  say  no  one  will  much  com- 
plain of  being  assailed  when  it  was  done  in  order  to  exalt  (un- 


LORD    BROUGH.iJI 


329 


necessarily,   because    he  did    not   need  it)   so    excellent  and 

useful  a  person  as  Lord  Langdale 

Yours  truly, 

H.  Brougham." 

The  charge  brought  by  Lord  Brougham  in  this 
letter  against  Panizzi  of  being  an  accomplice  in  Sir 
T.  D.  Hardy's  crime,  was,  in  a  subsequent  letter  from 
his  Lordship,  repudiated  by  him. 

"  Scarborough,  3  Aug.,  1852. 

"  My  dear  Panizzi, 

I  never  supposed  you  had  interfered  with  the  book 
which  you  told  me  you  knew  nothing  about,  except  that  you 
had  '  unadvisedly  '  (because  you   knew  nothing  of  it)  urged 

X to  speak   favourably  of  it,   which  I   take  for  granted 

you  would  not  have  done  had  you  read  it.     I  object  entirely 
to  my  name  being  used,  either  with    Lord  Langdale's  family 
or  with  Mr.  Hardy,   because  they  will  suppose  that  I  am  re-* 
senting  the  ridiculous  attacks  upon  myself,  which  I  presume 
there  is  no  person   so   utterly  ignorant  as  to  consider  worth 
a  moment's   notice,  such  as  my  having  only  talked  about  Law 
Eeform  before  I  came  into  office,  and  never  afterwards  doing 
anything  of  the  kind — when  this  very  book  itself  relates  my 
having  proceeded  with  the  County  Courts  Bills  the  moment  I 
came   in,  and  many   other  things  which   the  author's   gross 
ignorance  keeps  him   from  knowing  were  my  Bills.     There- 
fore, as  regards  myself,  he  is  welcome  to  spit  out  all  the  well- 
known  spite  of  the  Bcntham  people,  whose  ally,  probably  their 
tool,  l>e  is  as  regards  me.     But  what  I  do  complain  of,  is  his 
having  been  suffered  to  publish  Burdett's  letters. 

Yours  truly, 

H.  Beougham." 

Here  we  pause  to  pursue  in  the  following  chapter 

our   anecdotical   mood,  illustratiug  the  reminiscences 

with  letters  confirmatory  of  our   various  allusions — 

letters  which  in  themselves  possess  great  value,  if  the 

celebrity  of  their  authors  be  borne  in  mind. 


CHAPTER  XII 

Panizzi  and   Austria;    Policy  of  Palmerdon ;    Mr  Ellice;     Scotch 
Sahhath  ;   Mr   Gladstone  on  Tasso  ;  Panizzi  and  Thomas  Carhjle, 

ANIZZI'S  correspondence  with  the 
sketches  drawn  from  it  and  from  that 
of  the  society  with  which  he  was  con- 
nected, will  now  be  continued,  for  from^ 
these  is  to  be  derived  his  private  opinion 
on  various  subjects,  and  no  doubt  can  possibly  be 
suggested  as  to  this  course  furnishing  irrefragable 
proofs  of  his  real  sentiments.  Miscellaneous  as  are 
the  matters  of  which  these  letters  of  Panizzi  treat,  it 
is  not  surprising,  considering  the  disturbed  and  event- 
ful state  of  this  period,  that  a  large  proportion  of 
them  relate  to  politics,  to  which  he  was  so  irrepres- 
sibly  addicted.  The  following  to  Mr  Haywood  and 
Lord  Rutherfurd,  contain  the  comments  of  an  acute 
observer  of  the  unsettled  state  of  government  and  of 
affairs  in  general  in  this  country  and  in  the  East  imme- 
diately before  and  after  the  Crimean  War.  It  is  to  be 
wished  that,  in  addition  to  skill  and  vigilance,  the 
credit  of  impartiality  could  also  be  ascribed  to  Panizzi. 
The  fact  is,  however,  that,  so  deep  was  his  dislike  to 
Austria  (scarcely  to  be  wondered  at),  that  it  strongly 


CONTINENTAL    POLITICS  331 

tinctured  his  political  views  of  affairs  both  at  home  and 
abroad.  It  will  be  observed  also  that  he  was  less  of  a 
true  prophet  than  a  keen  observer. 

Herein,  too,  he  gives  his  opinion  of  the  policy  of 
Lord  Palmerston  and  other  statesmen,  showing  very 
decided  and  biassed  views  of  the  course  they  would 
probably  adopt,  and  venturing  on  surmises  which,  as 
events  have  proved,  were  not  well  grounded.  They, 
however,  are  valuable,  not  only  as  clear  expositions  of 
his  views  on  the  subject,  but  as  specimens  of  his  open 
and  undisguised  style  of  writing,  without  fear  or 
favour,  Avhen  his  own  political  ideas  required  elucida- 
tion : — 

«  B.  M.,  July  25,  1853. 
*'  My  dear  Haywood, 

Here  there  is  nothing  new.  There  will  be  no  war,  as  the 
Emperor  of  Russia  will  gain  something.  He  never  meant  to 
get  all  he  asked,  now,  at  once,  and  will  make  a  merit  of  his 
moderation.  In  five  or  six  years  hence  we  shall  have  another 
row,  and  he  will  jjet  somethinij  more — and  so  on  till  he  will 
get  all  he  wishes.  Time  will  come  when  England  will  repent 
her  supineness.  You  think  that  to  keep  at  peace  '  coute  que 
coute  '  is  the  high  road  to  prosperity:  I  think  it  is  ruin.  I 
am  reminded  of  the  debtor  who  will  not  look  at  the  state  of 
his  affairs  boldly,  and  pay  off:  he  goes  on  accumulating  com- 
pound interest,  till  at  last  he  finds  himself  ruined  past  redemp- 


tion." 


Yours,  &c.,  &c., 

A.  Pa>'izzi." 

"August  15,  1853. 
"  My  dear  Eutl.erfurd, 

"  ....  I  agree  with  you  as  to  the  deplorable  stale 
of  affairs,  both  at  hon.e  and  abroad.  The  Go\ernn.ent, 
leatcn  regularly  twice  a  day,  is  brought  into  contempt.     Lord 


332  THE    LIFE    OF    SIR  ANTHONY  PANIZZI. 

Palmerston  has  fallen  very  much  in  public  opinion ;  his 
escapade  last  Christmas  has  done  him  very  great  harm.  He 
is  considered  h J  all  his  friends  the  very  worst  Home  Se3ie- 
tarj-  that  ever  was.  As  to  foreign  affairs,  things  are  bad. 
The  allied  powers  are  at  the  feet  of  Austria,  who  Avill  never 
make  war  on  Russia  except  the  infamy  is  submitted  to  by 
Prance  and  England  sjuarantceinf]:  Austria  all  her  dominions. 
I  hope  that  England  will  not  join  in  it,  but  I  think  France 
will  do  it,  and  tl.e  guarantee  of  France  is  the  important  one. 
ile.e  Liberals  aie  at  a  discount.    .    .   ." 

Ever  thine, 

A.  Panizzi." 

"  September  12,  1853. 
"  My  de.ir  Eutherfurd, 

....  I  told  Lord  John,  Lord  Clarendon,  Gran- 
ville, Lansdowne,  and  Palmerston,  that  Austria  would  never 
make  Avar  against  Eussia,  now  they  have  allowed  her  to  make 
herself  the  mistress  of  the  situation,  as  the  French  say,  and  to 
seize  two  of  her  best  provinces  of  her  ally,  who  had  by  his 
own  individual  exertions  driven  the  enemies  from  it.  That  is 
what  they  call  backing  their  friends — Austria  will  take  Eussia's 
side  if  England  and  France  mean  to  press  her  too  hard,  in 
case  they  are  victorious  ;  should  they  be  beaten,  still  worse. 
Delay  is  everything  to  Eussia,  and  that  has  been  gained  for 
her  by  Austria,  who  sees  that  Turkey  must  fall  to  pieces,  and 
has  meanwhile  got  a  share  of  the  inheritance  of  the  dying  man 
lefore  he  dies. 

Ever  yours, 

A.  Panizzi." 

To  the  Right  Honourable  Edwarc"  Ellice  (whose 
name  is  familiar  to  all),  who  was  an  intimate  friend 
of  Panizzi,  and  to  whose  son,  the  lately  deceased 
Mr.  Edward  Ellice,  we  are  much  indebted  for  the 
documents    placed     at     our    disposal.     We    find    a 


I 


EDWARD    ELLICE 


o  o  o 
OOO 


iiS: 


letter  on   the  same   subject,  written   on  the  4th    of 

December,  1854 : — 

"  My  dear  Ellice, 

I  see  there  is  a  so-called  treaty 
of  alliance  signed  at  Vienna.  You  will 
see  it  is  merely  to  say  that  next  spring 
Austria  will  take  counsel  with  her 
new  allies  as  to  the  best  mode  of  en- 
forcing what  is  not  yet  settled.  She 
now  will  more  than  ever  embarrass 
France  and  England,  and  prevent  them 
from  making  war  in  the  only  way  that 
such  a  w^ar  should  be  made.  i\Iy 
dear  friend,  I  am  as  good  an  En'^dish- 
man  as  you  are,  so  far  as  attach- 
ment to  this  country  goes,  and  I  feel  conGdcnt  that  the 
Grovernment  are  mistaken,  and  go  to  ruin  the  country  as  fast  as 
they  can.  All  these  delays  and  weaknesses  give  all  the  advan- 
tai2:e  to  the  enemies  of  England,  and  Austria  is  among  the 
foremost  .  .  .  and  yet  the  greatest  confidence  is  expressed  in 
her  future  conduct,  because  it  is  assumed  that  it  is  her  interest 
to  join  England  and  France  ;  as  if  people  acted  always  as  they 
ought,  and  as  if  it  was  quite  clear  that  she  has  more  to  fear 
from  Eussia  and  her  system  of  government,  and  idtra-legitimist 
principles,  than  from  two  revolutionary  governments  like 
England  and  France.     I  have  no  patience  with  such  reasoning. 

Ever  yours, 

A.  Panizzi." 
Here  follows  a  terse  little  note,  written  in  the  true 
Panizzi  style,  ^yhether  the  ass  mentioned  in  his 
comment  on  a  piece  of  Scotch  Sabbatarianism  was,  in 
the  common  acceptation  of  the  term,  "  hired,"  may  be 
questioned.  But  we  can  testify,  from  our  own  p(^r- 
sonal  experience,  to  the  joeculiar  tyranny  exercised  on 
the   unfortunate  inhabitants  of  Glasgow,  and  which 


334  THE    LIFE    OF    SIR   ANTHONY    FANIZZI. 

falls   most   lieavily   on   innocent   sojourners   in   that 
cheerful  city  : — 

"  November  25,  1854. 
"  My  clear  Euthcrfurd, 

I  see  the  cabs  and  omnibuses  of  Glasgow  do  not 
ply  on  Sundays.  Was  not  the  donkey  on  which  Jesus  Christ 
entered  Jerusalem  on  Palm  Sunday  a  hired  ass  ?  And  if  he 
went  about  on  a  hired  donkey,  why  should  not  the  Glasgow 
people  be  allowed  to  ride  in  omnibuses  or  hired  cabs  on 
Sundays  ?  " 

The  next  letter  we  shall  quote  is  from  Mr.  Glad- 
stone : — 

"  Hawarden,  December  17,  1855. 
"  ]\Iy  dear  Panizzi, 

I  entirely  feel,  upon  a  recent  deliberate  re- 
perusal,  Tasso's  right  to  stand  in  the  very  restricted  class  of 
the  great  epic  writers.  It  is  true  that  in  tliat  class  he  seems  to 
me  to  stand  immediately  below  Homer,  but  I  should  boldly 
say  the  same  of  Virgil. 

His  own  life  and  fortunes  are  indeed  deeply  moving. 

Yours,  &c.,  &c., 

W.  E.  Gladstone." 

With  all  due  deference  to  so  great  an  authority, 
and  fully  agreeing  with  his  estimate  of  Tasso,  the 
position  assigned  by  Mr.  Gladstone  to  Virgil  is 
scarcely  doing  justice  to  the  chief  of  the  Latin 
poets.  Panizzi,  in  a  letter  to  Mr.  Gladstone,  says : — 
"  I  shall  be  happy,  you  may  be  sure,  to  read  what 
you  say  on  Tasso,  who  is,  no  doubt,  greatly  below 
Homer,  but  not  so  much  below  Virgil  as  people 
affect  to  say." 

It  is  true  that  Virgil  laboured  under  one  un- 
fortunate disadvantage ;  the  language  in  which  he 
wrote  is  certainly  less  fitted,  in  point  of  simplicity 


I 


THOMAS    CARLYLE  335 

and  sublimity,  as  a  vehicle  for  epic  poetry  than  the 
Greek. 

It  will  not  detract  from  the  miscellaneous  character 
of  the  information  promised  in  this  chapter  to  sub- 
join a  few  extracts  from  a  correspondence  which  took 
place  between  Panizzi  and  Mr.  Thomas  Carlylc,  who 
was  not  one  of  those  who  were  entirely  satisfied  with 
the  defective  Reading-Room  at  the  British  Museum, 
which  preceded  the  present  splendid  building,  soon 
to  be  described.  Full  of  sad  experiences  of  the 
manifold  inconveniences  of  the  former,  he  pardon- 
ably, but  erroneously,  imagined  that  it  might  be 
possible  to  obtain  some  more  private  and  more  com- 
fortable spot  wherein  to  pursue  his  studies  at  the 
Museum.  In  his  endeavours  to  attain  this  end,  how- 
ever, he  was  not  altogether  successful. 

On  the  11th  of  April,  1853,  the  eminent  historian 
addressed  a  letter  to  Panizzi,  which  he  answered,  we 
fear,  in  terms  somewhat  too  severe,  so  much  so,  that 
we  purposely  avoid  making  public  anything  which 
was  simply  the  fruit  of  former  quarrels ;  be  that  as 
it  may,  the  correspondence  was  submitted  to  the 
Trustees  four  days  afterwards,  together  with  a  report 
in  which  Panizzi  stated  that  he  knew  of  no  Private 
Room,  nor  of  any  quieter  corner  in  all  the  Library 
for  the  purpose  of  study,  than  the  Reading-Room ; 
but  even  if  he  did,  he  did  not  think  that  in  a  Public 
Library,  supported  at  the  National  expense  for  public 
use,  any  person  should  enjoy  advantages  and  facilities 
denied  to  the  generality.  Better  accommodation  was, 
undoubtedlv,  desirable  for  readers — for  them  all — 
but  not  for  any  especial  individual,  leaving  others  to 


336  THE    LIFE    OP   SIR   ANTHONY    PAIVIZZI 

fare  as  well   or  as  ill  as   they  might.     On  May  7  th 
the  Trustees  approved  of  Panizzi's  conduct. 

Not  altogether  content  with  this  decision,  Mr. 
Carlyle  seems  to  have  made  an  attempt  to  enlist  on 
his  behalf  the  interest  of  Lady  Ashburton,  and, 
through  her,  that  of  Lord  Clarendon.  The  result  of 
this  attempt  will  be  gathered  from  the  following 
letter,  addressed  to  the  latter : — 

"August  10,  1853. 

"  I  heartily  wish  it  were  in  my  power  to  do  what 
Lady  Ashburton  requests.  The  following  statement 
will  show  your  Lordship  how  1  am  placed.  Mr. 
Carlyle  wrote  to  me  asking  what  Lady  Ashburton 
asks.  I  informed  him  that  there  was  no  Private-Room 
whatever  in  the  Library  which  could  be  assigned  to 
him,  and  that  the  quietest  place  for  study  was  the 
Reading-Poom.  I  moreover  pointed  out  to  him  how 
invidious  it  would  be  in  a  public  place  to  favour 
anyone — however  great  his  merits  or  strong  my  desire 
to  serve  him.  ...  I  know  that  individual  Trustees 
have  been  applied  to ;  I  know  that  they  have  mentioned 
the  subject  to  their  colleagues ;  and  I  have  myself 
submitted  Mr.  Carlyle's  letter  and  my  answer  to  the 
Trustees,  who  have  approved  of  what  I  have  done, 
and  who  have  declined  to  accede  to  similar  applica- 
tions. Your  Lordship,  I  am  sure,  will  see  that  it  is 
impossible  for  me  to  depart  from  the  rule  under  such 
circumstances " 

Let  us,  however,  say  no  more  about  th*s  unpleasant 
affair,  and  look  upon  it  as  another  example  of  the 
unbending,  unswerving  nature  of  Panizzi  in  all 
matters  of  duty;    for    although    he    was,    doubtless. 


THOMAS   CARLYLE  337 

impressed  with  the  great  deserts  of  the  applicant  for 
relief  and  especial  accommodation,  on  this  occasion  he 
saw  no  reason  for  laying  himself  open  to  a  charge  of 
favouritism,  or,  under  any  pretence,  being  a  party  to 
conceding  to  one  reader,  however  great  his  merits, 
that  which  would  undoubtedly  be  denied  to  another. 


CHAPTER  XIII 


The  Wew  Reading-Room  ;  Sir  C.  Barry's  Plans  ;  Completion,  and 
Breakfast ;  Mr  mshing's  Plans ;  Controversy  ;  Bust  hj  Baron 
Marochetti  ;  Austria  Applies  for  Plans  of  Reading-Room. 

T   HAS  BEEN,  and  doubtless   for  some 
centuries  to  come  will  be,  a  matter  of 
regret  that  the  unrivalled  collection 
called  the  British  Museum  has  not, 
after  the  incalculable  labour  bestowed, 
and  the  vast  sums  of  money  spent  upon  it,  found  a 
home  more  worthy  of  its  invaluable  contents  than  the 
present  building.     Of  this  huge  pile — an  irregular 
oblong — but    little  appeals    to    the    eye,  less    to    the 
power   of  discussion.      The    Eastern   and    Western 
Wings  still  remain  partially  exposed  to  view  in  all 
their  normal  hideousness  of  yellow  brick,  unadorned 
by  aught  save   a  few  meagre  mouldings.     The  front, 
being,  of  course,  the  most   conspicuous  part  of  the 
structure,  has  been  the  object  of  attention,  and  has  been 
ornamented  in  a  manner  suiting  it  to  the  public  gaze. 
To  effect  this  desirable,  and  certainly  most  legitimate 
object,   choice  has   strangely  been  made  of  a  style 
which,  in  itself  most  beautiful,  is  so  hampered  and 
restricted  by  the    straitest    and   severest  rules  as  to 
be  almost    incapable   of  adaptation   to    purjioses    of 


THE    NEW    READING-ROOM  339 

modern  utility,  and  a  magnificent  Ionic  portico  and 
peristyle  have  been  erected  ;  the  building,  as  a  whole, 
thus  presenting  a  striking  contrast  to  any  other  struc- 
ture to  be  found  in  the  metropolis. 

Confront  the  British  ISIuseum  for  one  moment  with 
the  Madeleine  of  Paris,  and  how  great  is  the  differ- 
ence !  In  the  latter  is  seen  the  nearest  approach  to 
true  Grecian  architecture,  combined  with  admirable 
proportions,  and  tasteful  and  correct  ornamentation  ; 
T3y  admission  of  light  from  the  roof,  the  unsiglitliness 
of  windows  inserted  in  the  walls  is  avoided,  and,  in 
its  entirety,  the  building  fairly  represents  that  which 
it  purports  to  be. 

Let  the  visitor,  however,  enter,  and  he  will  find 
himself  somewhat  disappointed  ;  for,  instead  of  seeing 
a  tolerably  correct  Greek  temple,  he  will  find  a  sin- 
gularly ineffective  and  mediocre  Christian  Church. 
The  profuseness  of  decoration,  much  of  it  foreign  to 
the  style,  the  want  of  joower  in  what  should  be  the 
central  point  of  attraction,  the  general  horizontal 
character  of  the  lines,  throwing  out  the  building  in 
an  unnatural  degree — all  show  the  abortiveness  of  an 
effort  to  lend  the  rigidity  of  ancient  forms  to  the  exi- 
gencies of  modern  tastes. 

Still,  to  compare  the  Madeleine,  with  all  its  faults, 
to  the  British  Museum,  would  be  an  insult  to  the 
former;  not  that  the  classical  facade  of  our  own 
iDuilding  is  without  merit:  the  nobility  and  majesty  of 
the  portico  and  colonnade  cainiot  well  be  denied,  and, 
if  built  of  white  marble  (supposing  the  brightness  of 
the  marble  could  be  preserved  in  this  variable  climate) 
instead  of  their  present  dingy  material,  they  would 
z 


310  THE    LIFE    OF    SIR   ANTHONY    PANIZZI 

have  constituted,  by  their  own  merit,  a  most  striking^ 
and  dignified  object,  whatever  cavils  miglit  have- 
existed  as  to  the  reality  of  the  purpose  to  which  tlic^y 
would  have  been  applied. 

A  certain  distance,  however,  is  requisite  for  the 
view,  and  this  it  is  most  difficult  to  obtain  ;  on  closer 
inspection  it  will  be  seen  that  the  imposing  range  of 
pillars  rather  draws  attention  to,  than  serves  to  con- 
ceal, the  frightful  sash  -windows  which  glare  from 
behind  it,  and  whose  light  it  obscures. 

In  the  tympanum  of  the  portico  is  a  group  of 
sculptured  figures  by  Sir  R.  Westraacott.  To  this 
M.  Edgar  Vinet,  in  a  notice  of  the  British  Museum 
in  the  Journal  des  Lebats,  written  in  1858  (30th  of 
December)  alludes  in  the  following  words : — "  Un 
fronton  recemment  termine,  et  dans  lequel  Sir  Richard 
AVestmacott,  ce  qui  se  conceit  pour  un  sujet  pareil,  a 
represente,  d'une  maniere  un  pen  confuse,  I'homme 
passant  de  I'etat  sauvage,  saus  I'infiuence  de  la  re- 
ligion, a  la  civilisation  et  au  progres." 

This  cluster  of  sculpture  is  by  no  means  happy,  and 
the  kindly  phrase  of  our  critic,  "  une  maniere  un  pen 
confuse,"  might,  with  a  little  freedom  and  more  truth, 
be  rendered  by  the  English  words,  muddle,  cram,  and 
confusion. 

On  either  flank  of  the  main  building,  and  in  ad- 
vance of  it,  is  a  block  of  official  dwelling-houses, 
which,  as  some  may  remember,  called  down  much  de- 
nunciation at  the  time  they  Avere  erected  ;  they  are, 
however,  so  void  of  pretentiousness  that  they  seem 
hardly  to  deserve  any  very  lavish  outpouring  of 
rigliteous  indignation.  It  is  enough  to  say  of  them 
that  they  would  have  been  better  away. 


THE    NEW    READIXG-ROOM  341 

The  British  Museum  is,  however,  more  admirable 
inside  than  out.     Here,  nevertheless,  the  Nemesis  of 
the  style  pursues  the  observer  even    more  unrelent- 
ingly.    If  some  of  the  vast  and  dismal  rooms  be  not 
the  very  halls  of  Eblis,  at  least  they  are  eminently 
fitted  for  the  depositories  of  the  sarcophagi  of  those 
who  have    descended  thither.     The   beauty  of  their 
contents  may,  it  is  true,  engross  the  visitor's  attention 
for  a  time,  but  he  can  hardly  hope  to  remain  long- 
free  from  the  depression  and  melancholy  with  whicli 
the  surrounding  air  seems  impregnated.     The  light- 
ing (and  here,  again,  the  blame  must  be  exclusively 
laid  on  the  st}  le  adopted)  is  in   many  places  most  de- 
fective ;  as    to    the    mural    decoration,  it   cannot  be- 
better  described    than  in  the  words  of  the    already 
quoted  M.  Vinct : — A  I'exception  de  la  salle    de  lec- 
ture, vaste  rotonde    dont    la    coupole  reluit  d'or  la, 
decoration    intcrieure    du    Musee    Britannique   vous 
e  tonne  par  sa   simplicite ;    les   murailles   sont  nues,. 
quelques  meandres,  peints  a  I'encaustique,  entourent 
des  plafonds  pcrces  par  un  vitrage,  par  oii  passe  une 
lumiere  froide  et  grise :  voila  tout  ce  que  I'orgueilleuse 
Albion  a  cru  devoir  accorder  a  rembellissement  inte- 
rieur  de  son  Musee :  decoration  concue  avec   un  tel 
puritanisme  qu'elle  est  restee  au  dessous  des   salles 
d'attente  des  chemins  de  fer,  comme  ornementation  et 
comme  gout.     Une  large  cheminee  de  fonte,  chauffee 
a  blanc  huit  mois  de rannee,occupe le  centre  de  chaque 
piece,  et,  par  son  prosaisme  forme  le  plus  etrange  con- 
traste  avec  les  ceuvres  elegantes,  filles  du  soleil,  (pii 
I'entourent." 

To  the  objection  that  those  who  thus  flatly  con- 
z2 


342  THE    LIFE    OF    SIR   ANTHONY    PANIZZI 

demn  one  form  of  arcliitectiire  arc  bound  to  suggest 
another  more  suitable,  a  ready,  and  by  no  means  em- 
barrassing answer  is  forthcoming.  The  Pointed,  the 
most  beautiful  and  ductile  of  all  styles,  may  be  left 
out  of  consideration,  as  being  hardly  of  sufficient  con- 
gruity  to  the  relics  of  art  stored  in  the  National  collec- 
tion. Moreover,  to  have  attempted  a  Gothic  structure 
at  the  time  when  the  present  Museum  was  built, 
might  have  afforded  an  instructive  example  of  cor- 
ruptio  opiimi  pessima,  but,  in  all  probability,  would 
have  failed  in  point  of  utility,  and  would  most  cer- 
tainly have  been  an  outrage  on  good  taste. 

It  is  hardly  possible,  however,  to  suppose  that  the 
illustrious  architect  of  the  British  Museum  was  not 
as  conversant  with  Roman  as  wdth  Greek  architecture, 
•or  that  he  was  wholly  unacquainted  with  the  Romano- 
Italian  works  of  Wren  or  Palladio. 

As  the  Roman,  unlike  the  Grecian,  and  still  more 
unlike  the  Pointed,  does  not  mainly  depend  for  its 
beauty  on  the  lines  of  its  construction,  the  facility  for 
legitimately  decorating  a  building  of  the  shape  of  the 
British  Museum  would  have  been  far  greater  in  the 
first-named  style.  Who  shall  say  that  in  a  gallery  of 
the  Roman  type  the  statues  of  Roman  Emperors,  or 
even  the  monuments  of  Assyrian  Kings,  are  out  of 
place  '?  or  that  the  disjecta  membra  of  a  Greek  frieze 
or  pediment  would  be  incongruous  with  an  architec- 
ture so  nearly  akin  to  their  own  ?  At  any  rate,  we 
sliould  liaA'c  been  able  to  view  them  with  comfort, 
which  is  scarcely  the  case  at  present  ;  for  the  power 
of  lighting  would  have  been  increased  tenfold.  Op- 
portunities, too,  of  a  more  effective  system  of  intra- 


II 


THE    NEW    READLVG-ROOM  343 

mural  ornamentation  would  have  been  offered,  and 
many  other  minor  advantages,  conducive  to  beauty  or 
convenience,  secured.  Happily,  in  the  latest  addition 
to  the  great  building — an  addition  that  owes  alike  its 
origin,  position,  and  form  of  construction  to  the  enter- 
prise and  genius  of  Panizzi — the  ponderous  and  un- 
successful imitation  of  the  Greek  style  has  been  laid 
aside,  and  a  light  and  graceful  form  of  the  Italian 
order  adopted. 

This  little  gem  of  architecture — this  "'  Margarita'^ 
— is  the  "  New  Readino;-Eo(>m." 

The  history  and  traditions  of  tho  Roatling-Koom 
at  the  British  iMuseum  have  been  so  faithfully  and 
minutely  recorded  by  others  that  it  would  be  unpar- 
donable to  overcrowd  our  space  in  this  work  with  too 
full  a  description  of  them.  Since  the  year  1758,  a 
Reading  -  Room  has  always  been  attaclied  to  the 
Museum,  and  the  oiiginal  apartment  was,  by  all 
accounts,  especially  comfortable  and  even  luxurious. 
Though  small,  it  seems  to  have  been  sutticiently  hirge 
to  meet  the  requirements  of  those  early  days  of  its 
existence.  We  read  of  this  pleasant  corner  room  in 
"  the  basement  story,  with  one  oak  table  and  twenty 
chairs,"  so  small  as  to  befitted  for  only  twenty  readers^ 
yet  it  was  seldom  patronized  to  the  extent  of  its  full, 
capabilities.  In  one  respect  it  must  have  been  truly 
paradisiacal,  for  it  opened  into  a  delightful  garden  in 
which,  as  tradition  has  it,  the  presiding  deity  was 
accustomed  to  walk,  although  not  in  the  cool  of  the 
evening.  This  gentleman.  Dr.  Templeman,  afterwards 
Secretary  to  the  Society  of  Arts,  seems,  notwith- 
stnudhi"-.  to  liavc  found  his  duties  sufficiently  onerous. 


!44 


THE    LIFE    OF    SIR   ANTHONY    PANIZZI 


After  eight  months'  incumbency.  "  he  takes  the  oppoi- 
tunity  of  reminding  the  Committee  that  he  begs  to  be 
relieved  from  the  excessive  attendance  of  six  liours' 
■continuance  each  day,  for  it  is  more  than  he  is  able  to 
bear,"  and  on  March  13,  17G0,  he  records  with  a 
■chuckle  "  Last  Tuesday,  no  company  coming  to  the 
Reading-Room,  Dr.  Templeman  ventured  to  go  away 
about  2  o'clock."  Not  above  twenty  readers  were 
admitted  montlily  during  the  first  few  months,  and 
when  the  novelty  of  the  institution  had  worn  off,  even 
this  average  declined  to  ten  or  twelve.  It  is  true  that 
among  these  aj)pear  the  names  of  Johnson,  Gray,  Hume 
and  Blackstone.  Nor  were  the  regulations  patterns 
of  liberality.  The  statutes  directed  that  notice  should 
be  given  in  writing  the  day  before  to  the  officer  in 
attendance  by  each  person  "  what  book  or  manuscript 
he  will  be  desirous  of  perusing  the  following  day ; 
"which  book  or  manuscript  in  such  request  will  be 
lodged  in  some  convenient  place  in  the  said  room,  and 
will  from  thence  be  delivered  to  him  by  the  officer  of 
the  said  room." 

From  the  delightful  garden  with  which  it  commu- 
nicated, and  its  almost  rural  surroundings ;  from  the 
illustrious  names  of  those  ornaments  of  the  silver  aa^e 
of  our  literature  who  frequented  it,  and  in  the 
excellence  of  whose  works  one  almost  seems  to  dis- 
cover traces  of  quiet  case  of  study,  such  as  this  resort 
must  have  afforded,  it  is  with  mingled  feelings  of 
regret  and  envy  that  we  turn  to  our  own  time  and 
lament  that  the  world  of  readers  and  writers  should 
have  arrived  at  such  monstrous  dimensions  and  such 
luimanageable  proportions. 


THE    XEW    READIXG-ROOM  345 

One  great  improvement  has  recently  been  effected, 
'the  electric  light — the  latest  application  of  science  to 
the  means  of  illuminating  large  buildings,  has  been, 
through  the  energy  of  Mr.  E.  A.  Bond,  the  present 
Principal  Librarian,  most  successfully  introduced 
into  this  department — gladdening  the  hearts  of 
students  by  increasing  their  hours  of  research,  and 
■enabling  them  to  seek,  with  its  clear  effulgence,  the 
information  which  they  desire  to  possess. 

Our  contemplation  of  Panizzi's  majestic  work  has, 
however,  its  dark  shade.  It  reminds  us  sadly  of  the 
bustling  and  feverish  spirit  which  pervades  our  pre- 
sent, literature ;  of  the  enormous  trade  of  book- 
making  openly  carried  on  amongst  us,  and  of  the 
lack  both  of  dignity  and  polish  only  too  often  con- 
spicuous in  the  best  works  of  our  best  modern 
authors. 

The  quiet  ease  and  learned  leisure  gradually  died 
iiway,  readers  and  authors  of  all  classes  rapidly  in- 
creased ;  insignificant  as  were  their  numbers  com- 
pared with  the  present  multitude,  it  became  incum- 
bent on  the  authorities  to  prepare  somethiug  more 
than  the  single  and  comfortable  room  with  its  garden  ; 
and  in  the  old  House  and  in  its  last  days,  three  rooms 
were  set  apart  for  their  accommodation. 

To  the  first  Peadin<>;-E,oom  in  the  new  buildiuLr 
but  scant  praise  can  be  accorded.  The  ap2)ointments 
of  it  were  in  no  mse  satisfactory,  wliilst  the  mode  of 
access  was  almost  mean  and  decidedly  incommodious. 
Previously  crowded,  as  a  rule,  it  is  on  record  that, 
although  constructed  to  hold  only  about  1!20  readers, 
no  less  than  ;200  persons  wt^rc  frequently  cnimmed 


o4G  THE    LIFE    OF  SIR    ANTHONY    PANIZZI 

into  it.  A  larger  apartment  was,  therefore,  urgently- 
called  for  ;  and,  in  1838,  the  old  room  was  closed,, 
another  being  oj^ened  in  a  different  quarter  of  the 
building.  This,  divided  into  two  compartments,  was 
about  one-third  larger  than  its  predecessor,  and  in  its 
size  alone  its  superiority  appears  to  have  consisted. 
It  is  true  that,  in  many  respects,  its  fittings  Avere  far 
better,  that  a  more  convenient  entrance  was  con- 
structed, and  that  more  attention  was  paid  to  the 
comfort,  if  not  so  much  of  the  readers,  at  any  rate 
of  certain  of  the  attendant  officials,  who  had  before, 
this  been  wretchedly  housed. 

The  lighting  by  means  of  windows  many  feet  from 
the  ground  was,  in  both  rooms,  lamentably  deficient. 
Ill  neither  had  due  care  been  taken  to  provide  suffi- 
cient ventilation.  The  admission  of  fresh  air  appears 
to  have  been  chiefly  effected  by  the  simple  contri- 
vance of  opening  the  Avindows,  a  practice  not  always^ 
possible,  and  not  unlikely,  at  certain  seasons  of  the 
year  to  be  attended  with  as  much  danger  as  would 
have  been  the  retention  of  foul  air.  Readers  who  re- 
mained in  the  stifling  atmosphere  of  either  room  for 
any  length  of  time  were  known  to  complain  of  a 
peculiar  languor  and  headache,  and  the  expressive 
term  Museum  Megrims  was  invented  to  describe 
the  uneasy  sensations  of  the  too  persistent  student. 

The  following  is  an  extract  from  a  private  letter,, 
written  a  sliort  time  since,  in  which,  although  the 
writer  confesses  that  his  memory,  at  this  distance  of 
time,  is  not  as  fresh  as  it  might  be,  a  fair  description 
is  given  of  the  second  or  intermediate  Rcading-Koom,, 
as  it  was  in  the  year  1846  : — 


THE    NEW    READING-ROOM  347 

*'  "What  I  recollect  about  it  is  as  follows.     It  was  entered  by 
a  sort  of  lane  going  down   from   ^lontaguc- place  into    what 
must  have  been  at  one  time  a  stable-yard.     You  then  went  up 
a  staircase  into   a   long,  lofty  room.  ...  I  think   there  were 
two  great  sort  of  chests  of  hot  water  pipes  on  each  side  of  the 
entrance  from   the  staircase.     The  entrance  divided  the  room 
into  two  unequal  parts,  and  I  fancy  that  the  smaller   portion 
was  reserved  for  readers   of  MSS.     The   catalo'-'ue  was  in  a 
series  of  presses  near  the  west  wall,  commencing  about  opposite 
the  entrance,  and  extending   north.     The  rest  of  tlie  lloor  of 
the  room   was  occupied  by  reading-tables.     At  the  north  end 
was  a  tiling  like  a  buttery  hatch.     From  this  you  got  vour 
books,  having  previously  given   your  docket  describing  tlicm. 
The  walls  of  the  room,  for  eight  or  ten  feet  from  the  flooi-.  wci'c 
crowded  with  book-cases,  except  at  the   entrance  and  hatch, 
and  all  accessible  to  readers  in  the  room.     1  tiiink  the  room- 
was  liglited  by  windows  above  the  book-cases,  but,  as  fai-  as  1 
can  recollect,  on  the  east  side   only.      I   think  the  otlier  walls 
above  the  book-cases  restino:  on  the  floor  of  the  read  in  ir  room- 
were  also  covered  Avith  book-cases,  but  these   not  accessible- 
from  the  Eeading-Eoom,but  from  galleries,  &c., opening  into  the- 
other  parts  of  the  building.     I  recollect  nothing  about  the  ven-- 
tilation,  but  I  know  that  after  working  some  time,  you  found- 
your  head   very  hot  and  heavy,  and  your   feet  cold.     These 
were  the  symptoms  of  the  '  Museum   Megrims,'  about  which 
there  was,  shortly  after  my  experience  of  the  place,  a  deal  of 
chaff  in  the  papers.     I  fully  sympathized  with  it  at  the  time." 

The  Library  of  the  British  Museum  continued  to- 
increase  in  proportion  to  its  rapid  influx  of  readers ; 
and  in  1849,  the  collection,  excluding  the  masses 
of  MSS.,  pamphlets,  and  other  unbound  works, 
amounted  to  no  less  than  435,000  volumes.*  "NN'hat 
a  vast  acquisition  must  this  have  been  to  the  public,. 


*In  18S0,  1,300,000  volumes. 


348  THE    LIFE    OF   SIR   ANTHONY    PANIZZI 

whether  to  the  student,  the   critic,  or  the  occasioi;al 
louno-er ! 

The  power  of  exercising  rights  of  o^vnership  was, 
however,  by  no  means  commensurate  with  the  legal 
title  to  the  property :  indeed,  ov»ing  to  lack  of  room 
and  other  conveniences,  such  rights,  in  the  case  of 
very  many  who  would  otherwise  have  taken  advan- 
tage of  them,  scarcely  extended  to  liberty  of  inspec- 
ting the  outsides  of  the  volumes ;  as  to  the  insides, 
they  were  literally  closed  books. 

Such  a  state  of  affairs  made  a  deep  impression  on 
Panizzi,  whose  incessant  anxiety  for,  and  interest  in 
the  Department  over  which  he  presided,  added  to  his 
repugnance  to  suffering  so  much  of  its  contents  to 
lie  idle  and  unprofitable,  caused  in  him  a  ceaseless 
feeling  of  regret.  He  saw  and  knew,  only  too  w  ell, 
how  alone  reform  was  to  take  place — viz.,  by  pro- 
vision of  ample  room,  and  by  due  attention  too  the 
requirements  of  readers,  at  the  same  time  securing 
the  necessary  amount  of  space  in  the  building  for  the 
ever  increasing  additions  to  the  Library. 

From  a  very  early  period  his  attention  had  been 
directed  to  the  req  irements  of  the  Reading-Room, 
and  an  important  improvement  in  its  service  had  been 
introduced  by  him  even  before  he  became  Keeper  of 
Printed  Books.  Before  his  time,  the  press-mark 
denoting  the  place  of  a  book  in  the  Library  was  not 
affixed  to  the  Reading-room  copy  of  tha  Catalogue, 
and  the  reader  simply  indicated  the  books  he  wished 
to  see,  which  were  then  looked  out  in  the  Library 
copy  of  the  Catalogue  by  the  attendants.  This 
system,  which  may  have  answe]i:ed  very  well  while  the 


THE    NEW    READING-ROOM  349 

daily  average  of  visitors  did  not  exceed  thirty,  became 
entirely  inadequate  when  they  amounted  to  two  hun 
dred;  and  Mr.  Baber,  at  Panizzi's  suggestion,  directed 
that  press-marks  should  be  put  to  the  Reading-Room 
Catalogue,  so  that  the  readers  might  search  it  for  them- 
selves. This  innovation  occasioned  an  immense  saving 
of  time,  but  was  naturally  resented  by  many  to  whom 
time  was  of  less  importance  than  trouble.  Sir  Harris 
Nicolas,  an  excellent  type  of  the  really  hard-working 
reader,  thought  differently,  and  spontaneously  addressed 
a  letter  to  Panizzi,  congratulating  him  upon  his  reform. 
This  incident  had  an  amusing  sequel.  Sir  li.  Nicolas 
saw  fit  to  assail  Panizzi's  mana"'ement  in  a  series  of 
anonymous  articles  in  the  Spectator  newspaper,  and 
among  other  points  censured  the  very  regulation  of 
which  he  had  previously  approved.  A  correspondence 
ensued,  in  the  course  of  which  Panizzi  cited  tlie 
material  parts  of  Sir  Harris's  former  letter  to  liimself 
without  marks  of  quotations,  and  Sir  H.  Nicolas  mis- 
taking his  own  arguments  for  his  antagonist's,  fell 
foul  of  them  in  a  fashion  which  gave  Panizzi  the  op- 
portunity he  sought  of  withdrawing  from  further  con- 
troversy with  "  a  man  endowed  with  so  flexible  a 
judgment,  and  so  treacherous  a  memory." 

The  improvements  introduced  by  Panizzi  into  the 
internal  arrangements  of  the  Okl  Ileading-Poom  wc^rc 
nevertheless  trivial  in  comparison  with  those  wliich 
he  was  destined  to  accomplish  by  the  construction  of 
a  new  one. 

In  1850,  he  submitted  to  the  Trustees  his  first  plan 
for  a  new  Keading-Poom.  As  this,  however,  iuNolved 
the  acquisition  of  land  and  the  consequent  erection  of 


350  THE    LIFE    OF    SIR    ANTHONY    PANIZZI 

new  buildings,  it  was  rejected  on  account  of  the  delay 
and  expense  which  would  inevitably  follow.  The 
next  plan  of  reform  relating  to  the  enlargement  of  tlie 
capacities  of  the  Museum  in  general  was  brought  for- 
ward by  the  Trustees  themselves.  This  or  a  similar 
scheme  had  long  since  been  mooted,  but  was  regularly 
formulated  for  the  first  time  in  1848.  Their  proposal 
was  to  buy  up  the  whole  of  one  portion  of  the  street, 
on  the  east  side  of  the  Museum,  to  build  on  the  site, 
and  to  complete  that  part  of  the  edifice  which  faced 
Eussell  Square  with  a  grand  facade.  This  scheme^ 
the  cost  of  which  Avas  calculated  to  amount  to  only 
about  a  quarter  of  a  million,  did  not  receive  the 
favourable  consideration  of  Government.  There  is 
much  reason  to  be  thankful  that  the  infliction  of  a 
second  grand  facade  has  been  spared  us.  The  first 
sketch  for  the  New  Reading-Room  was  drawn  by 
Panizzi  himself  on  April  18,  1852,  and  shown  to  Mr. 
WintcrJones  on  the  same  day. 

On  May  5  following,  Panizzi  sent  in  a  report  setting 
forth  at  large,  and  in  forcible  terms,  the  discomfort 
and  inconvenience  existing  in  his  own  Department  of 
the  Institution,  and  recommending,  as  a  remedy,  the 
construction  of  the  new  building  in  the  inner  quad- 
rangle. It  Avill  not  be  amiss  to  give  this  report  in 
eoctenso,  as  it  will  present  something  more  than  a 
sketch  of  the  work  intended — omitting,  of  course,  all 
minor  and  unimportant  details. 

"  May  5th,  1852. 

"  Mr.  Panizzi  has  the  honour  to  submit  the  follow- 
ing statement  and  suggestions  to  the  Trustees,  in  the- 
hope  that  the  pressing  importance  of  the  subject  will 


THE   NEW    READING-ROOM  35 1 

be  deemed  a  sufficient  apology  for  thus  urging  it  once 
more  on  their  early  and  favourable  consideration." 

"  It  is  a  known  and  admitted  fact  that  there  is  no 
more  available  space  in  which  to  arrange  books  in  a 
proper  and  suitable  manner  in  the  Printed  Book  De- 
partment ;  that  the  collection  is,  therefore,  falling, 
and  will  continue  to  fall,  into  arrears,  the  consequences 
•of  which  are  also  too  well  known  to  be  here  further 
insisted  upon ;  that  want  of  accommodation  in  the 
Reading-Rooms,  not  only  for  readers,  but  for  books  of 
reference  and  for  catalogues,  prevents  many  persons 
from  making  use  of  the  collection  of  printed  books, 
whilst  actual  readers  pursue  their  rescarclics  and 
studies  amidst  many  and  various  discomforts,  all  OAving 
to  the  crowded  state  of  those  rooms." 

"  Supposing  that  it  were  at  once  determined  to 
Temove  to  suitable  buildings,  to  bo  erected  for  the 
purpose,  some  portion  of  any  of  the  collections  now 
forming  part  of  the  British  Museum,  or  that  in  order 
to  provide  room  for  books  an  enlargement  were  forth- 
with decided  upon  of  the  present  Museum  building, 
iis  Mr.  Panizzi  had  the  honour  to  suggest  long  ago,  it 
is  manifest  that  many  years  must  elapse  before  the 
advantages  to  be  derived  from  either  altornati\"e  would 
be  felt.  The  additions  which  would  in  tlu>  interval 
be  made  to  other  collections  would  greatly  curtail  the 
tulvantages  ultimately  proposed  for  the  readers,  and 
for  the  department  of  Printed  Books,  both  of  which 
would  in  the  meanwhile  continue  to  labour  under  the 
present  and  eventual  disadvantages  already  pointed 
out.  Under  any  circumstances,  therefore,  and  whatever 
be  the  determination  adopted  as  to  provision  being 


352  THE  LIFE  OF  SIR  ANTHONY  PANIZZI 

eventually  made  for  the  general  wants  of  the  British 
Museum,  the  claims  of  the  readers  require  the  imme- 
diate and  special  consideration  of  the  Trustees." 

"  With  respect,  moreover,  to  this  important  part  of 
the  subject — the  accommodation  for  readers — it  seems 
to  Mr.  Panizzi  that  none  of  the  existing  parts  of  the 
British  Museum  offer  such  comforts,  conveniences,  and 
advantages  as  appear  to  him  absolutely  required  for  a 
proper  Reading-room  of  such  an  institution — a  cir- 
cumstance to  which  he  particularly  begs  to  direct  the 
attention  of  the  Trustees.  Having  long  held  this 
opinion,  Mr.  Panizzi  suggested  from  the  first,  and 
has  often  suggested  since,  whenever  the  question  of 
additions  to  the  present  building  has  been  brought 
under  discussion,  that  a  new  Eeading-Room  should  be 
erected  ;  and  this  suggestion  he  is  more  and  more 
convinced  must  be  acted  upon,  even  though  portions 
of  the  collections  now  contained  in  the  British  Museum 
were  removed  from  it,  and  the  space  which  they 
occupy  were  destined  to  receive  printed  books, — a 
destination  which,  it  may  be  incidentally  remarked, 
will  be  convenient  only  with  respect  to  certain  parts 
of  the  building." 

"  Mr.  Panizzi  thinks  that  the  inconveniences  now 
felt  can  be  completely  remedied  as  well  as  all  even- 
tual difficulties  removed  in  a  short  time,  and  at  a 
comparatively  small  cost,  by  the  erection  of  a  suitable 
building  in  the  inner  quadrangle,  which  is  at  present 
useless.  .  .  .  The  building  now  suggested  con- 
sists of  an  outer  Avail,  not  higher  than  the  sill  of  the 
windows  of  the  quadrangle — about  18  feet.  This 
wall  is  intended  only  to  protect  the  contents  of  the 


THE    XEW    KEADIXG    ROOM  c~)0- 

building,  not  to  support  it.  It  ought  to  be  supported 
by  iron  columns,  and  proper  iron  frames  and  girders. 
It  would  be  for  the  Trustees  to  consider  of  what 
material  the  rest  of  the  building  should  consist,  and 
whether  the  whole  or  only  parts  of  its  roof  should  be 
of  glass  ;  oi  course  this  may  partly  depend  on  the 
quantity  of  light  required." 

"  All  the  partitions  of  the  several  portions  (marked 
on  the  plan  accompanying  the  report),  with  the  excep- 
tion of  those  intended  to  seperatc  closets,  washing- 
rooms,  &c.,  &c.,  from  the  rest  of  the  building,  should 
be  formed  by  book-cases  of  uniform  size,  holding 
books  on  both  sides." 

"  Such  fittings  and  furniture  would  then  be  of  use 
were  it  considered  expedient  at  some  future  period  to 
remove  the  proposed  building  altogether,  and  provide 
a  Reading- Room  elsewhere." 

*'It  is  intended  that  a  space  of  four  feet  should  be 
left  between  the  outside  of  the  areas  of  the  building: 
now  existing  and  the  outer  wall  of  the  one  suggested. 
Neither  the  light,  nor  even  the  ventilation  of  the 
rooms  underground  would  be  interfered  with,  at  least 
not  to  such  an  extent  as  to  render  it  doubtful 
whether  a  slight  inconvenience  possibly  accruing  to 
the  use  of  cellars  ought  to  outweigh  the  manifest 
advanta2:es  which  must  evidentlv  result  to  the  readers 
and  Library  from  the  adoption  of  the  proposed 
scheme." 

"  By  the  adoption  of  that  scheme  a  Rcading-Room 
would  be  provided  capable  of  containing  upwards  of 
6G0  readers  at  one  and  the  same  time,  all  comfortably 
seated.      They    might   have    at    their    free   disposal 


354  THE    LIFE    OF    SIR    ANTHONY    PANIZZI 

25,000  volumes  of  works  of  reference.  The  superin- 
tendence, which  is  now  peculiarly  difficult  (in  con- 
sequence of  which  mutilations  and  thefts  have,  of 
late,  become  not  uncommon),  would  then  be  as  easy 
and  as  effective  as  possible.  The  space  assigned  to 
books  will,  on  a  moderate  calculation,  afford  room 
for  400,000  volumes.  There  will,  moreover,  be 
ample  accommodation  for  Officers,  Assistants,  Tran- 
scribers, and  Attendants,  to  carry  on  their  various 
duties  in  a  more  comfortable  as  well  as  more  econ- 
omical manner  than  is  now  the  case.  Requisite 
conveniences  would  also  be  provided  for  frequenters 
of  the  Eeading  -  Room.  The  whole  building  is 
capable  of  being  as  well  lighted,  ventilated,  and 
warmed,  as  can  possibly  be  wished." 

"  Mr.  Panizzi  having  but  a  very  limited  knowledge 
of  practical  architecture,  and  of  the  cost  of  building, 
cannot  take  upon  himself  to  give  an  estimate  of  the 
expense.  He  would,  however,  be  greatly  surprised  if 
the  building  now  suggested,  completely  fitted  ujd, 
were  to  cost  more  than  £50,000."* 

A  few  weeks  after,  Panizzi  wrote  to  Lord  Ruther- 
furd : — 

"  May  27,  1852. 
*'  I   have  submitted  a  plan  of  building  in  the  Quadrangle 
to  the  Trustees,  which  has  taken  with  them  all  amazingly,  and 
Avill,  no  doubt,  be  executed,  for  even  the  architect  is  pleased 

*  It  so  happened  that  Mr.  Charles  Cannon,  one  of  the  Assistants  in  the 
Library,  knew  how  to  draw  a  plan  in  the  proper  manner ;  Panizzi,  there- 
fore, employed  him  to  put  the  rough  sketch  into  such  a  shape  as  to  be  clear!  v^ 
imderstood  by  the  Trustees.  The  plans  were  accordingly  drawn  and  laid 
before  the  Board  without  any  assi-^tance  from  outside  the  Mussura.  Panizzi, 
in  after  time,  used  frequpntly  to  refer  to  this  and  some  similar  services 
as  of  gvi-at  advantage  to  him. 


THE   A'EW    READING-ROOM  355 

with  It.  He  will  have  nothing  on  earth  to  do  but  carry  Into 
execution  my  Ideas  ;  he  has  not  been  able  to  suggest  one 
single  Improvement.  He  tried  yesterday  to  draw  a  plan 
somewhat  different  from  mine,  but  he  was  obliged  to  admit  it 
was  a  failure,  and  will  have  to  execute  purely  and  simply  my 
own  plan.  I  shall  save  the  country  many  and  many  thousand 
pounds,  and  do  wonders  for  readers  and  library." 

And  in  December  of  the  same  year,  he  addressed  a 
letter  to  Plallam,  the  answer  to  which  we  give : — 

"  December  2,  1852. 
*'  My  dear  Sir, 

I  have  just  received  your  valuable  letter  on  the 

proposed  application  to  the   Treasury  for  an  addition  to  the 

building  at  the  Museum.     Your  plan  appears  to  me  the  only 

one  which    will  meet  the  emergency,  and  also  the  only  one 

which,  on  the  score  of  expense,  the   Government  are  at  all 

likely  to   entertain.     But  as  the   Trustees  have  already  laid 

both  this  and  the  proposed  building  to  the  east  before  the 

Treasury,  they  cannct  avoid  giving  them  the  choice 

I  much  fear  that  it  will  not  be  possible  for  me  lo  attend 
with  the  rest  of  the  deputation — that  is,  I  am  engaged  at  a 
distance  from  London  both  next  and  the  follow! ncc  week.  I 
Avill  do,  however,  all  I  can  to  be  present.  But  I  do  not  sup- 
pose the  Treasury  will  have  time  before  the  adjournment  of 
Parliament. 

You  have,  I  dare  say,  called  on  the  Trustees  forming  the 
deputation.  I  will,  however,  and  as  you  permit  me,  transipit 
your  letter  to  Mr.  JNIacaulay.  I  think  that  Mr.  Goulburn  is  as 
likely  to  have  weight  as  any  one,  but  I  am  sure  you  have  been 
in  communication  with  him. 

I  should  not  be  surprised  at  the  removal  of  Elgin  and  other 
marbles  to  the  new  National  Gallery,  but,  of  course,  that  part 
of  the  Museum  could  not  be  converted  into  a  library  without 
much  inconvenience  and  expense. 

Yours,  &c.,  &c., 

H.  Hallam.'* 

AA 


356  THE    LIFE    OF   SIR   ANTHONY   PANIZZI 

In  June,  1852,  there  appeared  in  the  Quarterhj 
Heview,  an  interesting  article  on  the  British  Museum, 
from  the  pen  of  no  less  a  personage  than  the  llight 
Honourable  Wilson  Croker  himself.  On  the  face  of 
this  article  the  writer  shows  himself  a  thorough 
advocate  oi  the  merits  of  the  Reading-Room  then  in 
existence.  Denying  the  credibility,  save  in  the  case 
of  a  few  individuals  of  abnormally  weak  and  suscep- 
tible brains,  of  the  traditional  Museum  headache, 
to  which  so  many,  and  amongst  them  Thomas  Carlyle, 
had  from  personal  experience,  borne  witness  ;  he  pro- 
ceeds to  charge  the  room  with  the  very  defects  on 
which  the  majority  of  its  frequenters  were  in  the 
constant  habit  of  dilating. 

Amongst  other  works  at  the  head  of  this  article,  is 
one  entitled  Observations  on  the  British  Museum, 
National  Gallery  and  National  Becord  Office,  loith 
suggestions  for  their  im])7'0vement,  hy  James  Fergusson. 
London,  1849. 

In  this  work  Mr.  Fergusson,  anticipating  Panizzi's 
purpose  and  choice  of  site,  proposed  to  construct  in 
the  inner  quadrangle  of  the  British  Museum,  a 
Reading-Room  about  175  feet  by  105  feet.  The 
writer  of  the  article  gives  Panizzi  no  credit  for  the 
soundness  of  his  scheme,  and  its  adaptability  to  the 
requirements  of  the  occasion,  but  attributes  his 
recommendations  simply  to  his  zeal  for  the  efficiency 
of  his  ]3epartment,  and  wonders  how  Mr.  Smirke 
could  have  lent  these  ideas  his  professional  concur- 
rence. With  Mr.  Fergusson's  project  he  disagrees  as 
likely  to  spoil  the  effect  of  the  inner  court,  as  touch- 
ing   the    grandeur  and  imj)ressiveness  in  its  naked 


SIR   C.    BARRY'S   PLANS  357 

^severity ;  in  this  he  assumes  that  there  is  a  peculiar 
merit  in  the  eyes  of  those  who  have  seen  it,  though 
it  must  be  granted  that,  to  the  few  w^ho  had  done  so, 
this  peculiar  merit  was  not  so  clearly  \dsible.  He 
proposes  as  an  improvement  to  cover  in  the  whole 
■court  with  a  glass  roof,  after  the  fashion  of  the 
■original  Crystal  Palace  of  1851,  in  Hyde  Park,  and 
to  use  the  grand  room  thus  obtained  as  a  receptacle 
for  antiquities,  sculpture,  etc.,  with  other  details  of 
improvement,  which,  as  they  were  never  carried  out, 
do  not  require  to  be  particularized  in  these  pages. 

This  was,  in  fact,  the  scheme  submitted  in  1853  to 
the  Trustees  of  the  British  Museum  by  Sir  Charles 
Barry.  The  report  made  by  the  Trustees  respecting 
this  plan  is,  as  may  be  supposed,  too  long  to  quote 
iverhatim,  but  is,  substantially,  as  follows  : — 

That  Sir  C.  Barry's  plan,  so  far  as  it  related  to 
increased  accommodation  in  the  British  Museum,  was 
absolutely  impracticable. 

That  it  betrayed  great  ignorance  of  the  wants  of 
-the  Museum,  and  indifference  as  to  the  safe-keeping 
of  some  of  its  most  valuable  contents. 

That  the  large  skylight  covering  the  75,200  square 
feet  of  quadrangle  would  darken  every  window 
therein,  and,  in  many  seasons,  obscure  the  whole 
space. 

That  the  communications  between  Departments 
would  be  more  inconvenient  than  at  present,  and  that 
the  new  Reading-Koom,  proposed  by  Sir  C.  Barry, 
w^ould  be  deficient  in  light,  air,  and  accommodation, 
and  be  attended  by  increased  expense  and  delay  in 
the  procuring  of  books. 
2a 


o58  THE    LIFE    OF   SIR   ANTHONY   PANIZZI. 

That  the  supervision  of  the  Reading-Eoom  -svould 
be  less  effective,  and  risk  of  loss  incurred. 

That  access  to  parts  of  the  Library  would  have  to 
be  through  the  Reading-Room ;  the  Cataloguers, 
would  be  separated  by  a  great  distance  from  their 
books,  and  the  Catalogues  themselves  suspended 
during  the  progress  of  the  works. 

That  the  Exhibition  of  Prints  and  Drawings  would 
be  in  like  manner  affected ;  that  no  additional  space 
is  provided  for  printed  books ;  and  that  general  dis- 
placement and  confusion  in  this  Department  would  be 
the  result  of  the  scheme. 

That  Sir  C.  Barry's  statement — viz.,  that  the  space 
of  only  one  year  is  sufficient  for  the  completion  of  the 
Avork  is  without  foundation. 

That  the  plan  of  removal  of  the  greater  objects  of 
antiquity  from  their  present  site  to  Sir  C.  Barry's  new 
hall  would  be  attended  with  extraordinary  labour  and 
expense,  and  that  their  position  would  be  no  more- 
conspicuous  than  before. 

That  mummies,  metals,  pottery,  and  objects  having 
delicacy  of  colour  would  run  risk  of  injury. 

That  ventilation  would  be  most  difficult,  and  the 
approach  to  the  area  highly  objectionable. 

Lastly,  that  the  sudden  fail  of  any  large  portion  of 
the  enormous  glass  roof  might  destroy  some  most 
valuable  object  or  objects  of  art. 

Thus  the  Trustees  dismissed  the  project  of  Sir  C. 
Barry,  and  evinced  an  inclination  to  cling  to  their  own- 
design,  notwithstanding  its  rejection  by  the  Govern- 
ment. 

It  was  not  long,  however,  before  they  saw  the  ex- 


OBSTACLES   AXD    DIFFICULTIES  359 

pedieiicy  of  adopting  Panizzi's  views ;  and  in  a  letter 
to  Lord  Rutherfurd,  the  latter  speaks  hopefully,  first 
of  his  plan,  and  afterwards  of  his  final  anticipation  of 
the  success  of  his  scheme. 

"B.  M.,  May  16,  1854. 

" .  .  .  .  Lord  Aberrleeii  and  also  Mr.  Gladstone,  but 
not  Lord  Lansdowne,  have  been  to  look  at  tbe  model,  and  both 
have  agreed  that  the  building  should  be  raited  as  proposed. 
The  Trustees  on  Saturday  were  unanimously  of  opinion  that 
my  suggestion  was  right,  and  liave  written  for  the  Treasury's 
approbation,  which,  after  what  I  mention  just  before,  will,  no 
doubt,  be  given,  and  the  thing  done." 

The  foundations  of  the  New  TJeading-Room  were 
commenced  in  May,  and  the  first  hrick  was  laid  in 
September,  1854. 

Li  a  work  of  such  a  peculiar  imture  and  vast  im- 
portance, it  would  be  impossible  to  avoid  the  constant 
recurrence  of  obstacles  and  difficulties  ;  and  a  third 
letter  from  Panizzi  to  Lord  Rutherfurd  proves  con- 
clusively that  these  were  caused  by  circumstances 
quite  unconnected  with  the  actual  building  operations. 
This  we  subjoin  : — 

"B.  M,  October  13tli,  1854. 

" .  .  .  .  The  building  is  going  on  tolerably.  It  will  be 
nsed  as  a  source  of  great  annoyance  to  me,  particularly  by  our 

friend  X ,  who   is  here  for  my  sins.     That  building  will 

cause  yet  to  us  all — I  mean  the  architect,  builder,  and  myself 
— great  anxiety  and  trouble  ;  numberless  points  are  to  be 
settled,  and  they  are  knotty  ones.  Then  I  have  to  agree  about 
it  with  some  Trustees,  who  evidently  have  no  clear  conception 
of  what  it  is  to  be,  and  make  suggestions  and  objections  which 
they  would  not  make  if  they  understood  what  that  building  is, 
and  how  it  will  be  wdien  finished." 

As  time  progressed,  it  became  necessary  to  encoun- 
ter and  settle  the   question  of  internal  decoration — a 


360  THE    LIFE    OF    SIK   ANTHONY    PANIZZJ 

question,  in  all  countries,  of  extreme  delicacy  and  taste,, 
and,  in  our  own  climate,  especially  in  the  atmosphere 
of  London,  most  difficult  of  solution.  The  New 
Keadiiig-Room  had  no  exterior,  and  those  who  have 
seen  the  interior  in  its  present  finished  state  may 
readily  imagine  how  hald  and  unsatisfactory  an  ap- 
pearance it  would  have  presented  had  even  a  less 
lavish  use  heen  made  of  paint  and  gilding  in  its  orna- 
mentation. From  a  letter  of  Mr.  Smirke's  to  Panizzi 
it  would  appear  that  it  required  some  eff'ort  to  obtain 
for  the  building  the  least  amount  of  gilding  necessary. 

Here,  moreover,  the  equally  delicate  question  of 
money  arose,  for  Panizzi's  modest  estimate  of  £50,000 
had  already  been  greatly  exceeded  in  the  mere  con- 
struction of  the  room,  without  any  of  its  numerous 
and  much  needed  accessories. 

That  this  was  so,  may  be  seen  from  Mr.  Smirke's 
letter : — 

"  Leicester,  October  29,  1856. 
"  ]\Iy  dear  Sn, 
....  1  shall  not  let  the  subject  of  gilding  the  dome  drop 
without   an  effort,   and  propose  to  submit  it  formally  to  the 
Trustees   at   their   next   meeting.     If  four   or  five   thousand 
pounds  were  spent  in  gilding   some  of  the  mouldings  of  the 
dome  an  effect  would  be  produced  that  could  hardly  be   ima- 
gined ;  it  would  illuminate,  as  it  were,  the  whole  building,  and 
beautify  it  without  detracting  from  Its  simplicity  and  grandeur* 
The  £100,000  which  the  bulldin<j  costs  will  have  been  en- 
tirely  spent  In  objects  of  utility  ;  surely  four  or  five  thousand 
pounds  will  be  a  small   percentage   on   that  sum  for  ornament. 
In  what  public  building  In  London  has  the  ratio  of  ornament 
to  utility  been  as  four-and-a-half  to  a  hundred? 

Yours,  &c.,  &c,, 

Sydney  Smirke."' 


LETTER  FROM  THE  TREASURY  361 

Most  happily  the  authorities  entertained  no  parsi- 
monious ideas  in  the  matter  ;  and  a  letter  from  the 
Secretary  to  the  Treasury  (the  Eight  Honourable 
James  AVilson)  displays  a  liberal  and  enlightened 
view  of  the  necessity  of  combining  in  the  new  room 
beauty  with  utility,  although  his  opinions  as  regards 
the  British  Museum  in  general,  may  reasonably  be 
questioned. 

This  letter  will  also  be  read  with  interest ;  there- 
fore, altliough  lengthy,  no  apology  is  needed  for  its 
insertion ; — • 

"Treasury  Chambers, 
June  3,  1856. 
*'  My  dear  Panizzi, 

I  have  read  your  note  of  the  28th  of  ^Nlay 
"vvitli  much  interest.  I  have  shue  eent  you  an  official  letter 
sanctioning  the  gilding  of  the  dome.  That,  however,  need  not 
be  considered  to  preclude  the  consideration  of  the  painting  of 
the  ceiling,  should  the  Trustees  be  disposed  to  entertain  it.  As 
the  matter  appears  to  me  it  is  thus: — The  British  Museum  is 
certainly  the  best  public  building  we  have  of  modern  times, 
and  is  one  of  the  few  things  we  have  to  be  proud  of.  Tlie 
EeadinfjHall  will  be  one  of  tlie  finest  rooms  and  the  Dome 
oiie  of  the  grandest  structures  of  its  kind,  not  to  say  in  England, 
but,  so  lar  as  I  know,  in  Eur()|je.  These  circumstances 
certainly  point  to  the  strong  moti\e  we  should  have  to  com- 
plete it  in  the  best  style  of  which  it  is  capable.  Adverting  to 
the  fact  that  the  whole  of  the  sides  of  that  enormous  circle  will 
be  fitted  up  with  deni-e  rows  of  books,  with  a  mass  of  gilded 
and  varied  coloured  backs,  a  plain  white  ceiling  would  be  tame 
and  cold  in  the  extreme,  and  I  think  the  choice  must  lie- 
between  rich  gilding,  or  less  gilding  and  painting.  Against 
the  latter  I  think  the  plan  of  the  interior  of  the  dome  is  a 
serious  drawback,  because,  being  fitted  in   compartments,  any 


362  THE    LIFE    OF   SIR   ANTHONY    TANIZZI 

^rand  subject  to  spread  over  the  whole  of  the  dome  is  impos- 
sible, and  if  painting  is  resorted  to  at  all,  it  will  obviously  be 
necessary  to  confine  it  to  some  mode  of  filling  the  panels  only, 
and  which,  moreover,  excepting  the  ovals,  are  of  a  bad  shape; 
for  I  think  it  is  obvious  that  any  style  that  may  be  adopted 
should  be  ricli,  grave,  and  even  severe,  looking  to  the  purpose 
for  which  the  building  is  intended. 

Ho\ve\  er,  it  will  remain  for  the  Trustees,  if  they  think  right, 
to  consider  this  subject  deliberately  after  they  may  be  in  pos- 
session of  any  information  or  advice  which  they  think  proper 
to  seek.  Expressing  only  my  own  private  views  at  this  stage, 
I  should  on  public  grounds  think  that  it  would  be  well  worth 
consideration,  in  order  to  perfect  so  grand  a  work,  whether  an 
additional  sum  of  money  should  not  be  expended,  thrown  over 
two  or  three  years,  if  a  great  and  decided  effect  can  be  attained 
by  painting  in  place  of  gilding. 

Yours,  &c.,  &c., 

James  Wilson." 

Notwithstanding  the  suggestions  alluded  to  in  this 
letter,  to  the  great  credit  of  the  architect's  taste  and 
judgment,  the  Dome  was  "  fitted  in  compartments," 
and  no  opportunity  was  given  for  "  any  grand  subject 
to  spread  over  the  whole  of  the  Dome."  Had  this  pro- 
ject been  seriously  entertained,  it  is  assuredly  more  than 
doubtful  whether  an  artist  could  have  been  found  of 
sufficient  capacity  to  undertake  it  with  any  probability 
of  success. 

There  is  no  doubt  whatever  that  the  surface  of  the 
Dome,  arranged  and  coloured  as  it  fortunately  has 
been,  presents  a  far  better  effect  than  it  would  have 
done  had  it  been  surrendered  to  any  such  decoration 
as  a  grand  subject  painting  extending  over  the  whole 
of  it. 


INTERXAL   DECORATION  363 

But  apropos  of  decoration,  Panizzi's  letter,  written 
just  one  year  before,  and  addressed  to  a  Trustee  of  the 
British  Museum,  Mr.  W.  R.  Hamilton,  will  also 
testify  to  his  judgment  and  taste  in  architecture  : — 

"B.  M.,  June  11,  1855. 

"  My  dear  Sir, 

I  had  no  idea  that  my  objections  to  showing  the 
Tibs  in  the  interior  of  the  cupola,  and  to  the  form  of  the 
Avindows  in  it,  would  ever  have  become  the  subject  of  discus- 
sion. I  stated  these  objections  to  Mr.  Smirke  and  INIr.  Fielder, 
^nd  as  the  former  was  responsible,  he  was  perfectly  right  in 
persisting  in  his  views  if  he  thought  mc  wrong;  and  had  that 
fceen  done  privately,  I  should  have  allowed  tlie  matter  to  pass 
in  silence.  But  as  my  objections  have  been  formally  canvassed 
and  summarily  dismissed — as  I  am  likely  to  get  more  blame 
for  the  new  building  than  I  am  fairly  entitled  to,  and  as  I 
believe  my  objections  to  have  more  in  them  than  others  allow. 
I  tliink  it  right  to  put  on  record  these  objections,  being  firmly 
convinced  that  the  time  will  come  when  the  not  having  given 
them  more  consideration  will  be  a  source  of  regret.  If  I  write 
to  you,  instead  of  making  a  report  to  the  Trustees,  it  is 
because  I  do  not  want  to  sa}''  officially  more  than  I  did  on 
Saturday  last  to  the  Board,  because  Mr.  Smirke  appealed  to 
you  originally  as  a  friend,  and  because  your  unwearied  kind- 
ness to  me,  makes  me  confident  that  you  will,  on  the  same 
ground,  forgive  my  relieving  my  mind  to  you  by  repeating  my 
objections. 

1st. — As  to  the  cupola  :  I  object  to  its  showing  the  ribs  on 
whicli  it  rests.  I  say  that  this  is  unprecedented,  that  it  will  have 
a  bad  effect,  that  it  renders  it  impossible  ever  to  ornament  it, 
and  that  the  oval  frames  which  are  introduced  about  half  way, 
in  the  spaces  between  the  ribs  are  meaningless,  not  in  keeping 
-with  the  building.  Far  from  showing  how  they  arc  con- 
structed, it  is  their  being  as  if  it  were  suspended  in  the  air 
that  gives  the  cupolas  their  grace,  and  renders  them  striking 
objects.     From  them  comes  the  light  as  from  the  sky,  of  which 


364  THE    LIFE    OF    SIR   ANTHONY   PANIZZI 

they  represent  the  form  as  much  as  it  is  possible  for  mortals  tO' 
imitate  nature. 

To  show  the  ribs  in  a  cupola  is  the  same  as  if  we  were  to 
show  in  their  nakedness  the  beams  and  girders  supporting  a 
floor  or  a  roof. 

It  is  an  utter  mistake  to  say  that  the  ribs  (costoloni)  of  St. 
Peter's  are  seen  in  tlie  great  temple  itself.  The  cupola  which 
is  seen  inside  is  a  second  cupola,  quite  smooth,  built  on  pur- 
pose to  conceal  the  supports  and  ribs  of  the  outer  cupola,  and 
these  are  seen  only  by  persons  who  go  to  the  top  of  that 
superb  building,  ascending  between  the  two  cupolas,  the  outer 
and  inner  one. 

2nd. — As  to  the  windows  :  Has  any  one  ever  seen  such 
windows  in  a  building,  the  whole  cliaracter  and  style  of  which 
is  so  totally  different  Irom  them  in  character  and  style  ?  What 
will  the  effect  be  after  having  passed  through  the  magnificent 
entrance  of  the  Museum,  to  enter  a  room  lighted  not  only  by 
arched  windows,  but  by  windows  with  such  ornaments  in  their 
upper  portion,  and  then  divided  lengthways  by  a  slender  up- 
right into  two  very  narrow  and  very  long  arches,  the  propor- 
tions and  frame  of  which  are  so  peculiar,  and  so  much  at 
variance  with  everything  else  in  the  whole  Museum?  All  the 
doors  in  the  very  room  which  is  to  be  lighted  by  those  win- 
dows are  of  simple  and  rectangular  form.  Will  not  this  dis- 
cordance produce  a  most  disagreeable  effect  ? 

I  feel,  perhaps,  too  strongly  on  the  subject,  and  I  most  sin- 
cerely wish  I  may  be  mistaken,  but  I  cannot,  fearing  strongly 
that  this  building,  which  I  cherished  the  hope  would  prove  as 
handsome  as  it  will  be  useful,  will  thus  be  rendered  subject  tO' 
animadversion.  I  write  under  this  conviction — under  this 
conviction  I  spoke  last  Saturday  to  the  Trustees.  I  shall 
claim  no  merit  on  the  success;  I  must  disclaim  the  responsi- 
bility of  failure  on  these  two  points. 

Yours,  &c.,  &c., 

A.  Panizzi." 


COMPLETION   AXD    BREAKFAST  oG5 

Although,  during  the  progress  of  the  building, 
Panizzi  had  frequent  occasion  to  complain  of  the 
short-comings  of  the  workmen  employed  thereon,  yet, 
the  new  Eeading-Room  was  entirely  finished  by  the 
end  of  April,  1857,  in  the  laudably  short  space  of 
less  than  three  years.  Much  credit  was  due  to  the 
great  energy  of  the  contractor,  Mr.  Fielder,  for  whom 
Panizzi  entertained  the  highest  esteem,  and  who  was 
untiring  in  his  earnest  endeavours  in  carrying  out 
the  plans  of  the  architect ;  and  on  the  2nd  of  May  in 
the  same  year,  the  building  Avas  duly  opened,  a  grand 
breakfast  being  given  at  the  British  Museum  in 
honour  of  the  occasion :  to  this  the  Prince  Consort 
had  been  invited  by  Panizzi,  and  had  accepted  the 
invitation,  but  was  prevented  from  attending  by  an 
unforeseen  occurrence. 

The  following  letter  accounts  for  His  Eoyal  High- 
ness's  absence  from  the  ceremony  : — 

"  Piccadilly, 

April  SOth,  1857. 

"My  dear  Sir, 

As  the  death  of  H.R.H.  tl.e  Duclie?s  of  Glouces'.er 
will  inevitably  prevent  H.R.H.  Prince  Albert's  attending  at 
the  opening  of  the  Reading  Room  on  Saturday  next,  you  will 
oblige  me  by  stating  whether  or  not  the  ceiemony  will  still 
take  place  or  he  postponed  to  a  future  day. 

Yours  faithfully, 

A.  Panizzi,  Esq.  Cadogan." 

The  postponement  of  the  opening  of  the  Koom 
was,  however,  simply  impossible,  and  amongst  other 
notabilities  present  were  the  following  : — 

The  Archbishop  of  Canterbury  (Sumner),  Earl  and 
Countess   of  Clarendon,  Earl  Cawdor,  Earl  of  Aber- 


"SQQ  THE    LIFE    OF    SIR    ANTHONY    PANIZZI 

-deen,  the  Speaker  of  the  House  of  Commons,  Sir 
Charles  and  Lady  Eastlake,  Lady  Cranworth,  Baron 
Marochetti,  the  Dean  of  St.  Paul's  and  Mrs.  Milman, 
■Professor  Owen,  Lord  Panmure,  Lord  and  Lady  John 
Eussell,  Sir  George  and  Lady  Grey,  Earl  Spencer, 
the  Bishop  of  London  and  Mrs.  Tait,  and  the  Duke 
•of  Somerset. 

All  the  officers  were  also  present,  with  the  excep- 
tion of  Sir  Frederick  Madden  (Keeper  of  the  MSS.), 
'but  Mr.  E.  A.  Bond,  then  Assistant-Keeper,  repre- 
sented him.  One  of  the  letters  replying  to  Panizzi's 
invitation  to  this  breakfast  may  be  given  here,  to 
show  the  estimate  formed  by  one  whose  judgment 
may  safely  be  respected,  of  the  Librarian's  own  share 
in  the  building  of  the  new  Eeading-Eoom  : — 

"  24,  Bedford  Square, 

21st  April,  1857. 

"  Dear  Panizzi. 

I  shall  have  very  great  pleasure  In  witnessing 
the  Inauguration  of  the  New  Reading-Room,  not  only  as  an 
observance  marking  an  epoch  in  the  advance  of  the  Museum, 
"but  as  tending  by  new  allurements  of  splendor  and  convenience 
to  increase  the  resort  of  every  class  of  society  to  it,  as  well  for 
study  as  for  investigations. 

Without  lessening  the  merits  of  Mr.  Smlrke  and  Mr.  Fielder 
in  carrying  out  its  plans,  the  contriver  and  real  architect 
throughout  has  been  Antonio  Panizzi. 

Your  exertions  have  brought  Increased  prosperity  to  the 
greatest  of  our  Institutions. 

Yours  ever  smcerely, 

Henry  Ellis." 

Another  letter,  by  the  same  hand,  bears  testimony 
to  the  success  of  the  entertainment  itself: — 


COREESPONDENCE  o67 

"24,  Bedford  Square, 

4t]i  May,  1857. 
"Dear  Panizzi. 

I  must  not  resist  the  pleasure  I  feel  in  express- 
ing to  you  my  conoratulations  on  the  successful  opening  of 
our  new  Reading-Koom,  on  Saturday,  although  H.R.H.  Prince 
Albert,  contrary  to  his  own  intention,  was  prevented  by  the 
Duchess  of  Gloucester's  demise,  from  honouring  it  with  his 
presence. 

You  see  I  still  venture  to  say  our  Reading-Room,  for 
although  officially  defunct,  my  heart  and  mind  remain 
attached  to  the  welfare  of  the  place,  and  with  it  a  fancied 
identity  still  hovering  over  me,  and  I  must  say  not  a  little 
encouraged  by  the  prosperity  and  increasing  magnificence  of 
the  place  I  have  so  long  loved. 

Everybody  who  came  on  Saturday  was  delighted  with  your 
kind  reception,  and  noth'ng  could  be  a  more  complete  adapta- 
tion to  the  circuit  which  surrounded  it  than  your  entertain 
ment,  alike  conspicuous  for  the  abundance,   and  the  refined 
taste  in  the  selection  and  preparation  of  its  viands. 

The  ladies,  I  can  assure  you,  were  not  a  little  pleased  with 
the  compliment  of  the  bouquets.  The  only  regret  I  felt 
myself  was  in  the  consideration  of  the  fatigue  you  must  have 
undergone  in  your  own  exertions  to  prepare  for  making  so- 
choice  a  company  as  you  assembled,  so  completely  pleased  and 
happy,  not  omitting  your  toil  also  in  the  reception  ;  but  in 
both  points  I  am  quite  sure  you  Averc  thoroughly  successful. 

Accept  my  own  thanks  for  your  kindness  to  me  personally 
on  this  eventful  occasion,  and  with  my  best  wishes  that  you 
may  long  live  to  continue  your  exertions  for  the  benefit  of  the 
Museum,  and  that  you  may  be  backed  by  the  liberality  of 
successive  Chancellors  of  the  Exchequer,  such  as   Sir  George 

Cornewall  Lewis. 

Yours,  &c.,  Sic. 

Henry  Ellis." 


5G8  THE    LIFE    OF    SIR  ANTHONY   PANIZZI 

The  reply  to  this  conveys  a  graceful  tribute  to  Sir 
Henry  Ellis's  own  deserts  : — 

*'B.  M.,  May  4th,  1857. 
"  ]\Iy  dear  Sir  Henry, 

I  assure  you  that  I  cannot  find  words  to  express 
adequately  the  feelings  with  which  I  perused  your  most  kind 
letter  ;  beheve  me,  although  I  shall  not  say  mucli,  I  feel 
deeply  your  kindness. 

This  great  institution  which  has  grown  under  your  eyes, 
and  increased  from  small  beginnings  to  its  present  magni- 
tude by  your  paternal  care  and  unremitting  exertions  for  the 
space  of  56  years,  must  always  occupy  a  high  place  in  your 
heart.  I  can  only  express  the  hope  that  I  may  not  attempt 
in  vain  to  follow  your  footsteps  in  the  responsible  situation 
which  I  fill,  and  that  the  comparison  may  not  be  so  much  to 
my  disadvantage,  when  in  future  times  the  results  of  your 
administration  arc  compared  with  mine. 

Yours,  &c.,  &c., 

A.  Panizzi." 

Whatever  may  have  been  Panizzi's  claim  to  be  con- 
sidered the  "  Architect,"  as  well  as  the  originator  of 
the  design  for  the  New  Reading-Eoom,  his  reputation 
for  having  performed  so  great  a  service  was  not 
altogether  unassailed.  On  the  completion  of  his 
im^Jortant  work,  a  vigorous  attack,  more  formidable 
perhaps  in  appearance  than  in  reality,  was  directed 
from  a  somewhat  unexpected  quarter  against  both 
the  originality  of  the  plan  and  the  lond  fides  of  the 
author.  Ihec  feci  monimenta  meum  tulit  alter 
honorem^  sic  ws  non  vohis,  etc.  Such  were  the 
words  of  William  Hosking,  Professor  of  Architecture, 
King's  College,  London. 


ME.  hosking's  plaxs  369 

This  gentleman  had,  some  years  before,  prepared  a 
design  for  additional  bnildings  to  the  British  Museum, 
and  these  he  proposed  to  place  in  the  quadrangle,  on 
the  site  afterwards  fixed  on  by  Panizzi  for  his  Rcad- 
ing-Room.  In  1848  Mr.  Hosking  submitted  his  plan 
to  Lord  Ellesmere's  Museum  Commission,  and  after- 
wards, in  1849,  to  the  Trustees. 

Great  though  its  merits  may  have  been,  it  un- 
fortunately met  with  approbation  from  neither.  Mr. 
Hosking  now  made  a  charge  against  Panizzi  of 
having  pirated  not  only  his  choice  of  the  position, 
but  also  the  form  of  the  building,  which  he  alleges  has 
heen  colourably  altered  so  as  to  pass  for  Panizzi's  own. 

The  earlier  design  appeared  in  the  Builder  of 
June  22nd,  1850.  We  mention  this  in  order  that 
the  reader  may  have  an  opportunity  of  comparing  it 
with  the  latter  and  judge  for  himself  as  to  which 
]30ssesses  the  greater  merit  and  originality. 

Mr.  Hosking's  building,  it  must  in  justice  be 
allowed,  would  have  been  of  itself  extremely  orna- 
mental, and,  with  equal  justice,  it  may  be  said  would 
have  been  considerably  less  useful  than  ornamental. 
Although  the  superiority  of  past  ages  has  reduced 
the  art  of  the  present  day  to  imitation,  combined,  in 
comparatively  rare  cases,  with  happy  adaptation,  it  is, 
nevertheless,  doubtful  how  far  any  architect  who 
should  make  an  actual  copy  of  so  well-known  a 
building  as  the  Pantheon  at  Rome,  and  set  it  up  in 
one  of  the  most  conspicuous  positions  in  London, 
would  be  justified  in  so  doing,  or  would  merit  popular 
approbation,  even  though  he  acted  with  the  same 
■*'  bona  fides  "  as  Mr.  Hosking. 


370  THE    LIFE    OF   SIR    ANTHONY    PANIZZI 

Not  to  enter,  however,  on  this  higher  question,  it 
is  obvious  that  there  were  vaUd  reasons  why  the 
Trustees  should  have  rejected  this  scheme.  They 
may  be  excused  for  not,  at  first  siglit,  perceiving  the 
necessity  or  utility  of  raising  no  less  a  structure  than 
the  dome  of  the  Pantheon  over  a  portion  of  the 
statuary  of  the  British  Museum.  Another  project  in 
Mr.  Hosking's  plan  (not  mentioned  in  the  extract 
from  the  Builder),  whereby  he  proposed  to  cut  off  a 
portion  of  the  King's  Library  for  a  new  Reading-E-oom,, 
was  scarcely  worthy  of  second  consideration. 

On  the  completion  of  Panizzi's  work  Mr.  Hosking,. 
probably  wroth  at  his  own  ill  success,  and  aggrieved 
at  the  favour  lavished  on  the  other,  proceeded  to  open 
his  attack  on  the  alleged  pirate,  firing  his  first  shot 
direct  at  that  individual : — 

"  Adieiifeuiti, 
30th  April,  1857. 

"  Sir, 

As  the  credit  of  sngG^estinf'  the  site  and  orW\- 
natinf;  the  work  recently  built  in  the  quadrano'ular  court  of 
the  British  Museum  is  popularly  assigned  to  you,  whilst  I 
claim  to  have  devised  and  made  known  the  scheme  in  the  first 
instance,  I  hojDe  you  will  hold  me  excused  for  asking  you  tO' 
be  so  good  as  to  give  me  the  means  of  placing  the  matter 
rightly  before  the  public  by  informing  me  whether  the  project 
to  the  same  effect  which  I  laid  before  Lord  EUesmere's  Com- 
mission in  1848,  and  communicated  to  the  Trustees  of  the- 
Museum  in  1849,  had  been  seen  by  you  before  you  devised 
the  present  work. 

]\Iy  plan,  with  an  abstract  of  the  description  which  accom- 
panied it,  was,  after  the  drawing  whicli  presented  it  came  back 
from  the  Trustees,  published  in  the  Builder,  as  you  know  ;  for 
I  sent  you  a  copy  of  tlie  print,  and  that  was  two  years  before 


CONTROVERSY.  371 

the    scheme    lately   carried   out    was   made    knowa    to   the 
public. 

I  am,  yours,  &e., 

William  Hoskikg." 

To  this  Panizzi  lost  no  time  in  replying  : — 

"  British  Museum, 
May  1st,  1857. 

«  Sir, 

I  have  to  acknowledge  the  receipt  of  your 
letter  of  yesterday's  date  requesting  me  to  inform  you  whctlier 
a  certain  project  of  yours  of  building  in  the  inner  quadrangle 
of  the  Museum,  and  which,  as  you  state,  you  laid  before  Lord 
Ellesmere's  Commission  iii  1848,  and  communicated  to  the 
Trustees  in  1849  (as  1  have  just  now  ascertained  for  tlie  first 
time)  had  been  seen  by  me  before  1  designed  the  present 
work,  that  is  the  Keading-Room  and  Libraries  recently  built 
on  that  site. 

I  beg  in  answer  to  state  that  I  had  never  seen  your  project 
or  the  scheme  to  which  you  allude  before  I  suggested  tlie 
work  which  is  now  completed. 

I  saw,  when  published,  in  the  Builder,  a  separately 
printed  copy  of  it  which  was  sent  to  me,  1  suppose  by  you, 
without  any  accompanying  note  or  letter,  long  after  the  works 
for  carrjnng  out  my  suggestion  had  been  commenced. 

The  concluding  part  of  your  letter  must  mean,  of  course, 
that  that  publication  took  place  two  years  before  the  ■'cheme 
lately  carried  out  liad  been  made  known,  not  that  you  sent  me 
the  copy  of  your  plan  two  years  before  my  suggestion  had 
been  made  known  to  the  public.  It  is  desirable  that  lliere 
should  be  no  ambiguity  on  this  point. 

Permit  me  to  add  that  the  schemes  for  covering  over,  or 
building  in  the  quadrangle  were  numberless.  My  colleague, 
Mx.  Hawkins,  had  often  suggested,  long  before  1850  a  commu- 
nication by  con-idors  across  the  quadrangle,  from  the  front 
entrance  to  the  several  departments,  with  a  central  building 
for  the  Trustees'  Meeting-Koom  and  olHcers  standing  round  it. 
BB 


372  THE    LIFE    OP    SIR   ANTHONY    PANIZZI 

You  suggested  a  great  Centa-al  Hall  with  one  floor  of  120 
feet  in  diameter,  two  inscribing  octagonal  corridors  presenting 
niclies  to  receive  statues,  and  extensive  wall  surface  fit  to 
receive  reliefs  and  inscriptions  with  connecting  galleries,  etc. 

The  Hall  was  intended  by  you  for  the  exhibition  of  the 
finer  and  more  important  works  of  sculpture,  besides  a  quadri- 
lateral hall  to  contain  ample  staircases,  etc. 

I,  on  the  other  hand,  have  suggested  and  have  seen  built 
a  circular  Eeading-Koom,  140  feet  in  diameter,  with  amazing 
shelf  room  for  books  of  a  totally  novel  construction.  No 
central  hall,  no  quadrilateral  hall  nor  ample  staircases,  no 
space,  niches,  or  wall-surface  for  the  exhibition  of  works  of 
sculpture,  statues,  or  inscriptions  as  you  suggested.  How 
your  scheme  can  be  designated  as  being  to  the  same  effect  as 
mine,  and  how,  had  1  seen  it,  it  can  take  the  merit  of 
originality  from  mine,  others  will  say. 

Yours  was  the  scheme  of  an  architect ;  thick  walls,  ample 
staircases,  etc.  Mine  the  humble  suggestion  of  a  Librarian, 
who  wanted  to  find,  at  a  small  cost  of  time,  space,  and 
money,  ample  room  for  books  and  comfortable  accommodation 
for  readers,  neither  of  which  purposes  you  contemplated. 

Yours,  &c.,  &Q., 

William  Hosking,  Esq.  A.  Panizzi." 

Mr.  Hosking-  also  attempted  to  extract  information 

as  to  the  alleged  piracy  from  the  architect  of  the  new 

Reading-Eoom. 

"Athenaeum,  30th  April,  1857 

"  My  dear  Sir, 

Will  you  be  so  kind  as  to  tell  me  whether  you  ever 
saw  the  drawing,  or  any  copy  of  it,  of  my  project  for  building 
a  modified  copy  of  the  Pantheon  at  Kome  within  the  enclosed 
quadrangle  of  the  British  Museum,  before  the  scheme  of  the 
analogous  work  recently  executed  under  your  directions  at 
the  same  place,  and  attributed  to  Mr.  Panizzi,  was  com- 
municated to  you  ?  Yours  &c.,  &c., 

To  Sydney  Smirke,  Esq.  VriLLiAM  Hosken'G." 


I 


CONTROVERSY.  373 

How  much  success  Mr.  Hoskingr  attained  in  this 
attempt  will   be  seen  on  a   perusal   of  Mr.   Smirke's 

answer : — 

"  May  2,  1857. 
"  Dear  Sir, 

I  beg  to  acknowledge  tlie  receipt  of  your  letter  of 

yesterday.     I  recollect  seeing  your  plans,  or  rather  I  had.  a 

glance  over  them  at  a  meeting  of  the  Trustees,  shortly  after 

you  sent  them. 

When,  long  subsequently,  Mr.  Panizzi  showed  me  his 
sketch  for  a  plan  of  a  New  Reading-Room ,  I  confess  it  did 
not  remind  me  of  yours,  the  purposes  of  the  two  plans  and  the 
treatment  and  construction  altogether  were  so  different. 

The  idea  of  building  over  the  quadrangle  is  of  very  early 
date,  it  was  certainly  mooted  in  the  Museum  fifteen  years  ago. 

Yours,  &c.,  &c., 

Sydney  Smtt!ke, 

It  may  as  well  be  mentioned  in  this  place,  that  as 
Panizzi  in  his  letter  already  quoted,  disclaims  origin- 
ality in  choosing  the  position  of  his  New  Eoom,  so 
Mr.  Hoskinw,  in  a  subsequent  letter,  dated  4th  of  May, 
1857,  to  Mr.  Smirke,  admits  that  "  It  is  quite  1  o 
years  since  Mr.  Hawkins  proposed  to  build  corridors 
across  it  (the  quadrangle)  to  facilitate  intercom- 
munication." Neither  of  the  opposing  parti-es,  how- 
ever, takes  note  of  the  fact  that,  as  early  as  1836-7, 
Mr.  Thomas  Watts,  the  late  Keeper  of  the  Depart- 
ment of  Printed  r>ooks  in  the  British  Museum,  had 
actually  suggested  the  construction  of  a  Reading- 
Room  in  the  very  spot  of  Panizzi's  selection. 

He  had  written  in  the  Mechanics    Magazine  for 
March   11th,   1837,  commenting  upon   the   waste  of 
space  occasioned  by  the  empty  quadrangle,  ''  A  Read- 
ing-Room, of  ample  dimensions,  might  have  stood   iii 
2b 


374.  THE    LIFE    OF    SIR   ANTHONY    PANIZZI 

the  centre,  and  been  surrounded  on  all  four  sides 
by  galleries  for  the  books,  communicating  ^vith  each 
other  and  lighted  from  the  top."  A  little  further  on, 
however,  he  half  retracts  his  o^\ai  suggestion,  re- 
marking, "  So  much  has  been  expended  on  the  great 
quadrangle,  that  it  might  seem  barbarous  to  propose 
tilling  up  the  square,  as  ought  to  have  been  originally 
done."  The  grand  concej)tion  of  the  cupola,  by 
which  architectural  effect  was  to  be  taken  away  only 
to  be  restored  with  interest,  had  not  da\vned  upon 
him ;  and,  in  fact,  the  reverence  expressed  by  so 
many  for  the  architecture  of  the  inner  court  would 
have  been  more  intelligible,  if  the  court  had  been 
more  accessible. 

As  regards  originality,  therefore,  in  this  portion  of 
the  respective  designs  there  can  be  no  possible 
ground  of  discussion. 

Still  Mr.  Hosking  could  not  be  comdnced  that,  in 
other  points,  his  design  was  not  feloniously  used  and 
himself  consequently  wronged  by  Panizzi,  and  so 
published  a  long  pamphlet  dwelling,  amongst  other 
things,  on  the  alleged  fact  that  the  latter  must  have 
seen  the  copy  of  the  Builder  which  he  sent  to  him  in 
May,  1852. 

To  this  allegation  Panizzi  gave  a  categorical  denial ; 
but  a  short  statement,  dated  May  18th,  1858,  in 
answer  to  the  longer  pamphlet,  will  show  sufficiently 
for  our  present  purpose  the  line  of  attack  adopted 
by  his  opponent,  and  his  OAvn  method  of  defence. 

Hemarhs  on  Mr.  Hoshing''s  Claims  to  the  Design  of  the  British 

Museum  Neto  Building. 
1st. — Mr.  Hosking  having  suggested  "  a  modified  copy  of 


CONTROVERSY.  375' 

the  Pantheon,"  a  massive  building  for  the  exhibition  of  sculp- 
ture, with  no  accommodation  for  readers  or  books,  now  claims 
the  merit  of  the  structure  which  I  suggested,  and  which  has 
been  built,  was  intended,  and  is  used,  solely,  for  readers  and  for 
books.  His  scheme  incUided  quadrilateral  halls,  central  halls, 
ample  staircases,  corridors,  &c.,  all  of  the  usual  materials  ;  the 
building  which  I  suggested  and  have  seen  carried  out,  is 
original  in  plan,  use  of  materials,  arrangement,  and  construc- 
tion. Mr.  Hosking  says  that  it  is  not  the  plan  of  the  Pantheon 
that  he  claims,  "  but  the  application  of  its  form,  disposition, 
and  proportions  ;"  and  the  plagiarism  he  alleges,  is  the  appli- 
cation of  such  his  device,  with  certain  of  his  combinations, 
contrary  to  honour  and  good  faith,  not  only  on  my  part,  l)ut 
also  on  that  of  the  Trustees.  It  will  be  obvious  to  anyone 
who  will  inspect  the  building,  that  neither  the  form,  nor  the 
disposition,  nor  the  proportions  of  the  Pantheon,  have  been 
adopted  in  the  new  building  at  the  Museum.  There  is  no  re- 
semblance whatever  between  the  architectural  features  of  the 
two  schemes.  Mr.  Hosking  proposed  a  reduced  Pantheon, — a 
cupola  120  feet  in  height,  and  the  same  in  diameter.  The 
cupola  of  the  Eeading-Eoom  is  140  feet  in  diameter,  and  10b* 
feet  in  height.     Are  these  two  conceptions  alike  ? 

2nd. — ]Mr.  Hosking  says  that  I  am  a  "  pirate,"  having  taken 
from  his  scheme  my  suggestions  for  building  the  Reading- 
Room  and  surrounding  Libraries ;  which  suggestions  I  made 
on  the  5th  of  May,  1852.  Instead  of  using  hard  words  and 
dealino-  in  jxeneralities,  it  would  be  better  that  Mr.  Hosking 
should  declare  specidcally  which  of  his  suggestions  have  been 
adopted  in  the  new  building.  I  aflirm  none,  not  even  the 
most  trifling.  Indeed  such  an  appropriation  was  impossible, 
as  I  am  going  to  prove.  Mr.  Hosking  states  that,  on  the  14th 
of  June,  1852,  he  sent  me  a  copy  of  that  portion  of  the 
Builder,  dated  June  22, 1850,  in  which  his  scheme  of  building 
was  set  forth.  I  distinctly  aver  that  I  did  not  receive  that 
portion  of  the  Builder  on  the  14th  of  June,  1852,  nor  in  any 
part  of  1852  or  1853,  and  that  I  never  knew  of  Mr.  Hosking's 


37G  THE    LIFE    OF    SIR   ANTHONY    PANIZZI 

plan  till  the  latter  part  of  1854,  when  1  did  see,  for  the  first 
time,  the  extract  from  the  Builder  of  the  22nd  of  June,  ISoO. 

3rd. — Lonof  after  the  works  for  the  new  buildiiifj  were 
begun,  I  found  in  my  study  at  the  British  Museum  (not  at 
my  private  residence),  a  paper  merely  addressed,  to  me,  in 
which  was  carelessly  wrapped  up  a  copy  of  what  professed 
to  be  an  extract  from  that  number  of  the  Builder.  I  showed 
it  at  once  to  Mr.  Jones  and  to  Mr.  Fielder,  as  a  document 
just  received,  and  wondering  whence  it  came.  I  learned 
then,  for  the  (irst  time,  from  Mr.  Fielder,  who  Mr.  Hosking 
was.*  The  moment  I  received  Mr.  Hosking's  letter  of  the 
30th  of  April,  1857,  informing  me  that  the  extract  from  the 
Builder  had  been  sent  by  him,  I  showed  it  to  both  those 
gentlemen,  who  recollected,  immediately,  my  having  shown 
them  that  extract,  as  I  have  just  stated.  The  works  for  the 
new  building  were  begun  late  in  March,  1854,  the  contract 
Avas  made  some  time  after  :  I  became  acquainted  with  Mr. 
Fielder  after  the  contract  was  made. 

4th. — Mr.  Hosking  admits  that  I  could  not  have  received 
his  paper  in  May,  1852,  when  I  put  forward  my  "  first 
design,"  but  is  positive  that  I  had  received  it  when  I  j^ut 
forward  "  the  other,  early  in  1854."  My  answer  is,  that  I 
never  put  forward  any  design  whatever  after  May,  1852.  I 
have  freely  made  suggestions  to  Mr.  Smirke  ;  he  has  most 
unreservedly  consulted  me  from  May,  1852,  to  the  present 
day;  liut  I  have  never  made  any  other  design  than  that 
shown  by  the  two  plans  of  May,  1852,  accompanying  my 
report  of  the  5th  of  that  month,  and  printed  by  order  of  the 
House  of  Commons  on  the  30tli  of  that  same  mouth. 

5th. — Mr.  Hosking  asserts  that  if  the  cupola  rested  merely 
on  its  iron  supports  (which  it  does,  in  fact,  as  any  one  may 
see)  it  would  tumble  down  ;  and,  as  if  to  show  that  he  has 
not  the  most  distant  conception  of  what  the  Museum  Reading- 
Eoom  ought  to  be,  he  actually  proposes  that  the  King's 
Library  should  be  used  as  such. 

*  The  name  of  Mr.  Hosking  occurs  repeatcdlj'  in  tlie  printed  document 
here  referred  to  as  that  of  the  author  of  the  plan  therein  put  forth. 


CONTROVERSY  377 

6th. — If  tlie  new  Eeading-Room  and  Libraries  at  tlie  Britisli 
Museum  have  any  merit,  they  have,  by  universal  consent, 
that  of  being  in  every  -way  adapted  to  their  respective  pur- 
poses. The  fittings,  the  tables,  the  warming,  the  lighting, 
the  peculiar  system  of  ventilation  applied,  the  multifarious, 
minute  arrangements  adopted  in  order  to  economise  space 
and  for  the  accommodation  and  comfort  of  readers,  as  well 
as  for  the  ready  access  to  books,  are  certainly  not  less  im- 
portant than  the  building  of  which  they  form  an  integral  and 
vital  part,  but  upon  none  of  which  has  iVIr.  Hosking  put  forth 
his  views.  His  suggestion  of  placing  works  of  art  in  a  room 
120  feet  in  diameter,  lighted  from  the  top  of  a  dome  at  a  height 
of  120  feet,  speaks  for  itself. 

7th. — On  the  publication  of  my  plans  by  order  of  the  House 
of  Commons,  in  June,  1852,  they  were  much  canvassed  in  the 
public  press,  and  severely  animadverted  upon  in  the  Quarterhj 
Review.  The  possibility  of  their  success  was  long  denied,  and 
Mr.  Hosking  was  silent.  That  success  is  now  established,  and 
Mr.  Hosking  claims  the  merit  as  his  own. 

B.  M.,  May  18,  1858.  A.    Panizzi. 

Previously  to  the  issue  of  this  statement,  Pauizzi 
had  asked  for,  and  obtained,  from  the  architect  his 
opmion  on  the  dissimilarity  between  the  two  plans. 

"  Grosvenor  Street, 

April  8th,  1858. 

"Dear  Sir, 

I  feel  no  hesitation  in  complying  Avith  your 
request,  and  stating  that  the  idea  of  a  circular  Keading-ltoom 
with  suiTOunding  Library,  and  with  the  divisions  formed  wholly 
of  book-cases,  was  perfectly  original  and  entirely  your  owji, 
and  totally  unlike  the  solid  masonic  structure  devised  by  ^Ir. 
Hosking  for  the  exhibition  of  sculpture.  The  two  plans 
neither  did,  nor  do,  strike  me  as  having  any  resemblance  to 
each  other,  and  that  is  what  I  meant  to  express  in  my  note  of 
last  July.     The  architectm-al  features  of  the  present  dome  I 


378  THE    LIFE    OF    SIE   ANTHONY    PANIZZI 

am  aiiswercable  for,  not  you,  and  it  is  obviously  as  unlike  the 
Pantlieon  as  any  two  domes  can  be.  It  was  Michael  Angelo's 
cupola  of  St.  Peter  which  suggested  the  present  lines  of  yours. 

Yours,  &c.,  &c., 

Sydney  Smirke." 

Neither  Panizzi  nor  Hosking  lacked  supporters 
amongst  the  numerous  critics  and  judges  who,  as  a 
matter  of  course,  came  forward  on  such  an  occasion ; 
and  a  war,  supported  by  newspapers  on  either  side, 
was  vigorously  carried  on  for  upwards  of  a  year.  Into 
the  details  of  the  controversy  it  would  be  tedious  and 
irrelevant  to  enter  ;  but  whoever  will  undertake  im- 
partially to  peruse  the  records  of  it  (many  of  which 
are  still  extant),  will  have  neither  doubt  nor  difficulty 
in  ascribing  the  victory  to  Panizzi. 

But  as  "  there  is  a  river  in  Macedon  and  there  is, 
moreover,  a  river  at  Monmouth,"  so  it  must  be  ad- 
mitted that  there  were,  at  least,  three  sterling  points 
of  resemblance  between  the  two  designs.  They  are 
as  follows : — 1st.  That  for  each  was  chosen  the  same 
plot  of  ground,  but  that  the  merit  of  originality  in 
such  choice  belongs  to  neither  designer.  2nd.  That 
both  buildings  had  domes,  but  these  domes  so  dis- 
similar that  comparison  is  out  of  the  question.  3rd 
(and  here  lay  the  most  striking  point  of  resemblance). 
That  in  design,  purpose,  execution,  proportion,  and 
every  other  detail,  Panizzi's  building  differs  *'  toto 
ccelo  "  from  the  structure  devised  by  Hosking. 

The  whole  story  gives  occasion  for  melancholy 
reflection  on  the  common  and  vulgar  fortune  of  so 
many  great  men,  whose  claims  to  invention  or  dis- 
covery are  constantly   challenged  by  those  of  whose 


THE   NEW   READING-ROOM.  379 

existence  they  never  heard  until  their  own  works 
were  perfected.  There  is  reason  to  believe  that  the 
claimants  to  the  invention  of  the  Archimedean  screw, 
are  almost  equal  in  number  to  those  who  have  sug- 
gested building  in  the  inner  quadrangle  of  the  British 
Museum. 

The  following  is  a  description  of  the  room  : — 
"  The  Reading-Room  is  circular.  The  entire 
building  does  not  occupy  the  whole  quadrangle,  there 
being  a  clear  mterval  of  from  27  to  30  feet  all  round, 
to  give  light  and  air  to  the  surrounding  buildings, 
and  as  a  guard  against  possible  destruction  by  fire 
from  the  outer  parts  of  the  Museum.  The  dome  of 
this  Reading-Room  is  140  feet  in  diameter,  its  height 
beins  106  feet.  In  this  dimension  of  diameter  it  is 
only  inferior  to  the  Pantheon  of  Rome  by  2  feet ;  St. 
Peters  being  only  139  ;  Sta.  Maria  in  Florence,  139 ; 
the  tomb  of  Mahomet,  Bejapore,  135  ;  St.  Paul's, 
112  ;  St.  Sophia,  Constantinople,  107  ;  and  the  Church 
at  Darmstadt,  105.  The  new  Reading-Room  contains 
1,250,000  cubic  feet  of  space;  its  'suburbs,'  or  sur- 
rounding Libraries,  750,000.  The  building  is  con- 
structed principally  of  iron,  with  brick  arches  between 
the  main  ribs,  supported  by  20  iron  piers,  having  a 
sectional  area  of  10  superficial  feet  to  each,  including 
the  brick  casing,  or  200  feet  in  all.  This  saving  of 
space  by  the  use  of  iron  is  remarkable,  the  piers  of 
support  on  which  our  dome  rests  only  thus  occupying 
200  feet,  whereas  the  piers  of  the  Pantheon  of  Rome 
fill  7,477  feet  of  area,  and  those  of  the  tomb  of 
Mahomet,  5,593.  Upwards  of  2,000  tons  of  iron 
have  been  employed  in  the  construction.      Tlic  wciglit 


o80  THE    LIFE    OF    SIR    A.NTHOXY    PA>'IZZI 

of  the  materials  used  in  the  dome  is  about  1  ."J 00  tons 
viz.,  upwards  of  200  tons  on  each  pier." 

It  may  be  considered  that  we  are  open  ro  the  im- 
peachment of  plagiarism,  greater  even  tliuii  could  be 
ascribed  to  Panizzi,  inasmuch  as  we  hax-  nsken  our 
statistics  from  a  penny  book — that  most  accurate  one 
sold  at  the  Museum  at  this  very  moderat*^  1  trice — and 
having  borroAved  from  this  valuable  little  pi il)li cation, 
we  can  but  claim  as  our  excuse  the  worth  of  its  con- 
tents, and  the  consideration  of  those  iciuUHS  into 
whose  hands  the  small  publication  may  ii<\cr  have 
fallen. 

A  domed  building  possessing  beauty  of  jjpjX'arance 
is  by  no  means  easy  of  construction,  and  <o\uo  of  the 
most  celebrated  in  the  world  are  conspi*  nou-ly  defi- 
cient in  grace  and  elegance,  especially  a.^  regards  the 
exterior. 

Fortunately  it  has  fallen  to  the  lot  f'l'  the  new 
KeadinCT-Room  to  be  concerned  onlv  willt  tlio  mo;:t 
manageable  side  of  its  dome — viz.,  the  inside. 

By  this,  as  will  be  universally  allowed,  ciilicism  is 
disarmed.  The  proportions  of  the  room  ;jrc  admir- 
able, and  the  lines  of  architecture  full  of  gi-ace  and 
beauty.  The  lighting  is  based  on  the  most  srientific 
principles,  and  the  dome  itself  (only  inferi(jr  in  dimen- 
sions to  one  other  in  existence)  maintain^  its  own 
appearance  as  to  actual  size,  and  is  ol  :;randeur 
proportionate  to  its  general  lightness  and  dcLijince. 

The  spectator  will,  however,  be  most  Muick  with 
its  style  of  internal  decoration,  a  grand  c\;niiple  of 
success,  when  our  attempts  have  hithcrio  been  so 
futile. 


THE   NEW   KEADING-ROOM  381 

The  fear  of  tampering  with  colour  has  ever  been 
one  of  our  idiosyncrasies,  and  it  may  be  observed  in 
this  instance. 

True,  that  in  our  uncertain  climate  and  obscure 
atmosphere,  Nature  herself  lends  but  little  aid  in  the 
matter,  eitiier  as  regards  instruction  or  example ; 
but  the  colouring  of  the  lieading-Room  may  be  pro- 
nounced free  from  indifference  or  conventionality,  and 
to  the  freedom  observable  is  added  a  boldness  and 
originality  Avhicli  must  be  seen  to  be  truly  estimated 
at  its  proper  value. 

To  give  the  reader,  however,  some  general  notion 
of  the  manner  in  Avliich  the  colourin";  has  been  man- 
aged,  we  quote,  without  apology,  one  more  passage 
from  the  small  hrochurc  to  AAhich  we  have  alluded : — 

"  In  the  decoration  of  the  interior  dome,  light 
colours  and  the  purest  gilding  have  been  preferred. 
The  Great  Room,  therefore,  has  an  illuminated  and 
elegant  aspect.  The  decorative  work  may  be  shortly 
described: — The  inner  surface  of  the  dome  is  divided 
ii>to  twenty  compartments  by  moulded  ribs,  which  are 
gilded  with  leaf  prepared  from  unalloyed  gold,  the 
sofiitcs  being  in  ornamental  patterns,  and  tlie  edges 
touching  the  adjoining  margins  fringed  with  a  leaf- 
pattern  scolloped  edge.  Each  compartment  contains 
a  circular-headed  window,  twenty-seve^i  feet  high  and 
twelve  feet  wide,  with  three  panels  above,  tlie  central 
one  being  medalliou-shaped,  the  whole  bordered  with 
gilt  mouldings  and  lines,  and  the  field  of  the  panels 
finished  in  encaustic  azure  blue,  the  surrounding  mar- 
gins being  of  a  warm  cream  colour.  The  details  of 
the  windows  are  treated  in  like  manner — the  spandril 


382  THE    LIFE   OF   SIR   ANTHONY    PANIZZI 

panels  blue ;  the  enriched  column  and  pilaster  capSy 
the  central  flowers,  the  border  moulding  and  lines 
being  gilded — the  margins  cream  colour  throughout. 
The  moulded  rim  of  the  lantern  light,  which  is. 
painted  and  gilded  to  correspond,  is  40  feet  in  diameter. 
The  sash  is  formed  of  gilt  moulded  ribs,  radiating 
from  a  central  medallion,  in  which  the  Royal  Mono- 
gram is  alternated  with  the  Imperial  Cro^vn. 

"  The  cornice,  from  which  the  dome  springs,  is 
massive  and  almost  wholly  gilded,  the  frieze  being 
formed  into  panels  bounded  by  lines  terminating  at 
the  ends  with  a  gilt  fret  ornament.  Each  compart- 
ment of  the  dome  is  marked  by  a  bold  enriched  gilt 
console,  which  forms  at  once  the  support  of  the  main 
rib  and  the  base  for  a  colossal  marble  statue,  a  series 
of  which  it  is  proposed  to  place  on  the  cornice. 

"  Between  the  cornice  and  the  floor  the  space  is 
filled  with  the  bookcases  and  galleries  of  access,  the 
cornice,  standards,  and  railings  of  which  are  wholly 
gilded,  the  panels  of  the  soffites  of  the  latter  being 
blue,  having  gilded  ornaments  therein." 

It  will  have  been  observed  that  the  original  draft 
of  Panizzi's  scheme  proposed  to  provide  space  for  a 
larger  number  of  readers  than  was  ultimately  found 
advisable.  The  problem  of  accommodating  readers 
was,  indeed,  less  momentous  than  that  of  accommo- 
dating books ;  and  any  account  of  Panizzi's  edifice 
would  be  most  imperfect  which  did  not  take  some 
notice  of  his  solution  of  this  latter  difficulty.  As 
akeady  stated,  the  space  in  which  the  new  Reading- 
Room  was  to  be  erected  was  quadrangular,  while  the 
room  itself  was   to  be  circular.     The  quadrangle  is 


THE    NEW    READING-KOOM.  383 

335  feet  by  235  ;  the  diameter  of  the  dome  of  the 
Eeading-Eoom,  as  ultimately  constructed,  was  140 
feet.  The  circle  thus  inscribed  in  the  quadranii;le 
left,  consequently,  ample  space  for  the  construction 
of  additional  rooms.  After  deducting  a  clear  space 
of  from  27  to  30  feet  left,  for  the  sake  of  air  and 
light,  between  the  exterior  of  the  nevv  building  and 
the  inner  wall  of  the  original  Museum,  the  former 
was  still  258  feet  by  184,  equivalent  to  an  area  of 
47,472  square  feet.  The  amount  of  this  space  ex- 
ternal to  the  Reading-Eoom  (about  three-eighths  of 
the  whole)  was  occupied: — 1.  By  a  circular  gallery 
in  four  tiers,  including  the  basement  storey,  carried 
<^ntirely  round  the  Reading-Room.  2.  By  four  cor- 
ridors in  three  tiers,  each  forming  a  quadrangle 
parallel  with  the  interior  walls  of  tlie  original  !Museum 
structure.  3.  By  four  apartments  of  triangular  shape, 
■filling  up  the  spaces  left  vacant  between  the  circle 
and  the  quadrangle  in  which  it  was  inscribed.  Ac- 
commodation was  thus  provided  for  about  1,200,000 
books,  or  five  times  as  many  as  the  Museum  had  pos- 
sessed when  Panizzi  became  Keeper.  This  result  was 
•obtained  by  great  economy  of  space,  there  being  no 
Avails  except  the  exterior  wall,  the  partitions  being 
formed  by  the  books  themselves  arranged  fore-edge  to 
fore-edge,  except  against  the  external  wall,  the  shelves 
of  double  bookcases  being  divided  longitudinally  by 
a  wire  lattice.  These  shelves  are  placed  between 
grooved  uprights  of  galvanized  iron,  and  upon  metal 
pins  inserted  into  holes  made  for  the  purpose  in  tlic 
wooden  lining  of  the  grooves.  Sufficient  space  is  left 
between  these  rows  of  bookcases  to  admit  of  the  pas- 


384  THE    LIFE    OF    SIR    ANTHONY    PANIZZI 

sage  of  two  barrows,  and   the  entire-  remaining  space 
is   available   for  the  storage   of  books.     The  roof  is 
glass,  and  the  flooring  of  the  galleries  is  formed  of 
open  iron  gratings  to  allow  of  the  transmission  of  light 
to  the  basement.     The  presses  are  everywhere  of  the 
same  dimensions,  eight  feet   by   three,   so  that   each 
gallery  is  eight  feet  high.     The  shelves  are  made  of 
zinc  covered  with  leather,  the  multiplicity  of  perfora- 
tions in  the  wooden  lining   of  the  uprights  allowing 
of  their  being  placed  apart  at   any  interval  required, 
and,  thanks  to  Mr.  Watts's   elastic  system  of  number- 
ing the  presses,  the  books  destined  to   occupy  them 
were  removed  from  their  previous  1-ocality  without  the 
alteration  of  a   single   press  mark.     They  consisted, 
for  the  most  part,   of  acquisitions  made  since  1845, 
the  date  when   Panizzi's   quoted  report  on    tlie    de- 
ficiencies of  the  Library  was  laid  before  the  House  of 
Commons.     The  ground  floor  of  the   Keading-Room 
Avas  occupied  by   20,000  volumes  especially  selected 
to  serve  as  a  Reference  library.     These  were  partly 
chosen,  and  the  whole   were  admirably  cataloi>-ued  by 
Mr.   Rye,   then  Second   Assistant-Keeper,    wlio  also 
drew  the  coloured  ground  plan  of  the  Rcading-Room, 
and    superintended    the    placing    of    the    volumes. 
Several  picked  Assistants  worked  extra   time    under 
him  for  many  days,  and  the  task   was  only  comi^leted 
just  in  time  for  the  opening   of  the  room.     The  gal- 
leries were  flUed   with   periodicals,  and  all  the  books 
above  and  below  were   bound,  or,  at  least,  gilt  and 
furbished,  with  an  especial  view  to  decorative  eflect. 

It  only  remained  to  provide  for  the  management  of 
the  Room  by  the  appointment  of  Mr.  Watts  as  Super- 


THE    NEW    READIXG-ROOM  385 

intendent.  '-  The  readers,"  wrote  Mr.  Winter  Jones 
in  1859,  '•  liave  thus  placed  at  their  disposal,  for  sLx 
hours  every  day,  the  services  of  a  gentleman  whose 
intimate  acquaintance  Avith  the  Museum  collections, 
extensive  knowledge  of  the  literature  of  his  own  and 
foreign  countries,  and  acquirements  as  a  linguist 
rarely  to  be  met  with,  render  him  peculiarly  fitted  to 
carry  out  the  chief  object  of  the  Trustees." 

This  description,  wliich  has  already  been  drawn  out 
to  a  length  rather  exceeding  our  original  intentions, 
but  whicli  liio  interest  of  the  subject  somewhat  justi- 
fies, may  appropriately  be  concluded  ^vith  a  notice  of 
the  last  ornaments  added  to  the  Keadino--Iloom  : — 

Here  is  a  bust  of  Panizzi,  by  Baron  ^larochctti, 
placed  over  the  principal  entrance ;  an  admirable^ 
likeness,  but,  whatever  its  merits,  the  position  in 
which  it  was  to  have  been  placed  met  at  the  time  with 
strenuous  opposition  on  the  ground  of  convenience 
even  from  Panizzi  himself. 

«B.  M.,  ]\ray  14di,  1856. 

"My  dear  Sir  Henrv, 

I  had  tlie  curiosity  to  go  and  see  whei-e  it  was  pro- 
posed to  place  my  bust,  1  need  not  say  that  the  condescension 
of  the  Trustep*!  in  permitting  it  to  be  exhibited  anywHere  is 
as  gratifying  to  me  as  the  mark  of  regard  wliich  prompted  my 
fellow-labouvt  r,>  in  the  Printed-Book  Department  to  subscribe 
for  that  work ;  I  am,  therefore,  much  flattered  by  the  sug- 
gestion of  the  Building  Committee,  but  my  personal  feelings 
and  gratification  ought  not  to  prevail  over  the  public  con- 
venience, and  on  this  ground  I  earnestly  beg  of  them  to  re- 
consider that  >)i»io;estion. 

I  confess  I  am  astonished  at  Mr.  Smirke  not  objectint,'  to 
the  proposed  >iU';  he  well  knows  that  the  corridor  leading 


386  THE    LIFE    OP   SIR   ANTHONY    PANIZZI 

from  the  hall  to  the  New  Reading-Room  is  not  too  wide  as  it 
t>,  were  it  possible  it  ought  to  be  wider — he  knows  that  he  is 
obliged,  and  has  agreed  with  me  to  make  two  recesses  or 
niches,  one  on  each  side,  in  which  attendants  may  sit  in  that 
corridor,  out  of  the  way  'of  the  readers  going  to  and  from ; 
lastly,  he  knows  that  that  is  the  only  place  in  the  Library 
open  to  the  public,  to  the  walls  of  which  can  be  affixed  large 
maps,  on  rollers  for  ready  use ;  the  only  objection  to  this 
scheme  being  the  narrowness  of  the  corridor,  and  knowing 
all  this  he  leaves  it  to  me  to  point  out  the  inconvenience  of 
leaving  such  an  useless  obstruction  as  my  bust  placed  there. 

I  again  say  that  the  public  convenience  and  utility  im- 
peratively require  both  the  walls  of  the  corridor  to  be 
reserved  for  public  use,  and  the  thoroughfare  to  the  Eeading- 
Room  to  be  kept  quite  clear. 

Yours,  &c.,  &c., 

Sir  Henry  Ellis,  &c.,  &c.  A.  Panizzi." 

It  is  evident  that  the  ultimate  destination  of  the 
bust  had  not  been  fixed  upon  up  to  the  7th  of  March, 
when  Mr.  Smirke  addressed  the  follo^ving  letter  to 
Panizzi : — 

"  In  the  public  corridor  leading  to  the  New  Reading-Room 
will  be  a  wide,  handsome  folding  door,  over  this,  there  is  a 
piece  of  blank  wall  which  will  form  the  termination  of  the 
vista  on  approaching  the  Great  Room  ;  I  want  to  put  some 
object  there  that  the  eye  might  dwell  on  with  pleasure  as  you 
advance  along  the  corridor.  What  do  you  think  of  a  circular 
niche  over  the  door  with  a  Bust  of  the  Queen  in  it  i 
Minerva's  head  might  do — but  the  Queen's  would  be  more  in 
accordance  with  the  sipirit  of  the  times  !  " 

A  curious  incident,  with  happier  details  than 
the  great  cause  of  Hosking  v.  Panizzi,  must  not 
be  omitted  from  the  history  of  the  New  Read- 
ing-Room, It  will  be  remembered  that,  in  1823, 
the    Duke    of  Modena  had  executed  a  well  known 


THE   AUSTRIAN   AMBASSADOR  387 

effigy  of  Panizzi  ;  and  it  happened,  in  after 
years,  that  this  so-styled  "  Dnchino "  potentate's 
friend  and  ally,  Austria  (who  would  fain  have 
dealt  with  the  i^reat  Carhonaro  in  a  more  effcc- 
tive  manner),  struck  with  honest  admiration  of  his 
genius,  as  displayed  in  the  New  Reading-Room,  after 
failing  to  obtain  actual  possession  of  his  head,  judged 
it  expedient  to  take  what  advantage  she  could  of 
that  head's  cerebral  development.  Accordingly,  on 
the  completion  of  Panizzi's  work,  she  instructed  her 
Ambassador  in  this  country  (Count  Apponyi)  to  apply 
for  information  as  to  the  plans,  construction,  &c.,  &c., 
of  the  Xew  Room  in  the  British  Museum,  with  a 
view^  to  adapting  them  to  the  projected  New  Library 
of  the  University  of  Vienna.  The  following  corres- 
pondence contains  an  even  more  valuable  tribute  to 
Panizzi's  reputation  than  the  honour  already  paid  to 
him  by  his  adopted  country: — 

"  Londres,  le  9  Juln,  1857. 

"  Monsieur  k"  Comtt.', 

L'adiniration  imiverselle  qu'a  excite  la  cons- 
truction et  rorganisation  dv  la  nouvelle  salle  de  lecture  da 
Musee  Britannique  a  Londres  a  fait  naitre  au  ]\Iinistere 
de  rinstruction  Publique  en  Autriclie  le  desir  de  connaitre 
phis  a  fond  tout  ce  qui  se  rapporte  a  retablissemcnt  de  cette 
saUe  dans  le  bvit  d'en  tirer  avantage  pour  la  bibliotlieque  de 
rUniversite  de■_J^'ienne  qui  va  etre  nouvellement  construite. 

J"ai  ete  en  consequence  charge,  M.  le  Comte,  d'avoir 
recours  a  Tobligeante  intervention  de  ^^  E.,  a  I'eftct  d'obtenir, 
de  la  maniere  la  plus  detaillee  qu  il  sera  possible,  les  plans,  et 
descriptions  relativement  a  la  construction  etaux  arrangements 
interieurs  de  la  dlte  salle,  dont  la  perfection  est  digne  de  ser- 
vir  de  modele  a  tons  les  etablissements  de  ce  genre. 
CC 


o88  THE    LIFE    OF    SIK   ANTHONY    PANIZZI 

J'espere  qii'en  vue  du  but  que  se  propose  le  Grouveniemcnt 
Imperial,  celui  de  S3I.B.  ne  se  refusera  pas  a  la  demande  que, 
par  Tentremise  de  V.  E.,  je  me  permets  de  lui  adresser. 

Veuillez,  &c.,  ^*v:c., 

(A  Lord  Clarendon.)  AproNYi." 

To  this  Panizzi,  much  amused  and  doubtless  flat- 
tered, as  he  should  haAo  been  by  the  whole  affair, 
which  he  had  communicated  as  a  good  joke  to  a  few 
of  his  very  intimate  friends,  sent  a  courteous  reply 
with  the  required  information. 

The  effect  of  the  new  Reading-Room  in  encourag- 
ing study  was  speedily  perceptible.  During  1856  the 
number  of  visitors  had  been  53,422.  From  its  open- 
ing to  the  public  on  May  18th,  1857,  to  the  end  of 
the  year  they  Avere  75,128.  "  The  general  success  of 
the  New  Room,"  said  the  Edinhiirgh  Heview,  "  is,  in 
fact,  alarming."  The  remark  proved  just.  The  con- 
course of  readers  Avent  on  increasing  until,  in  1862, 
it  was  necessary  to  raise  the  limit  of  age  from  18  to 
21,  a  measure  recommendable  on  other  grounds.  The 
result  proved  how  large  a  proportion  of  the  visitors 
were  youths  under  age,  who  merely  resorted  to  the 
Reading-Room  to  get  up  their  tasks.  The  average 
daily  att(3ndance  fell  from  between  nearly  400  and 
500  to  about  360,  and  so  continued  until  within  the 
last  few  years,  wdien,  from  causes  which  do  not  fall 
within  the  scope  of  a  history  of  Panizzi's  administra- 
tion, the  daily  average  again  rose  and  is  now  about 
450,  or  nearly  treble  that  of  the  old  Reading-Room. 

Thus  has  been  presented  to  our  readers  a  short 
history  of  the  steps  by  Avhich  the  present  Reading- 
Room  became  a  realized  fiict,  and  the  important  part 


SUCCESSi'TL    EFFORTS  389 

wliich  Panizzi  played  in  its  design,  erection,  orna- 
mentation, and  gradual  deyelo]3ment — a  Eoom,  ^Thich 
Avorld-known  will  ever  associate  liis  name  with  itself" 
and  its  wonderful  treasures,  and  will  remain  a  noble 
monument  of  his  zeal  for  the  welfare  and  grandeur  of 
an  Institution  so  dearly  loved. 


END    OF    VOL.    I. 


•yj^iSI^''  '•^' ' 


S.   STKAKEK  A.NU  S'lNS,   I'iU.MliKS,   LOMJON  AXU  KtUHlLL. 


DATE  DUE 

JUL  3  1  19 

30 

RECD  . 

ULl  4  1980 

OC 

T    6  1980 

RECD  C 

CT  6       1980 

1 
1 

GAYLORD 

PRINTED  IN  U    S    A 

■ 


i 


IIIHI|lllll|ll|lll|llL| 


3  1970  00395  0224 


